Beer Lahai Roi

Not Getting the Game Thing

2012-01-28T15:21:00.002-06:00

I know what I'm writing today is bordering on heresy, but, well, sometimes ya just gotta put something out there.

I just Do. Not. Get. the whole football frenzy thing.

Which is truly sad, because I live in Alabama. Fish outta water, I am. Counter to the whole state in my apathy, I rebel.

A friend of mine told me she would never wear black and white plaid, lest she be taken for an Alabama fan; I love houndstooth, and I have some very nice black and white glen plaid in my fabric stash waiting to be made into a jacket that now I will have to convince myself it's ok to wear. There is no copyright that says only Alabama fans may wear it, and I daresay that in any other part of the country it wouldn't matter. But here, it does. I rebel.

The coaches trophy from the College Bowl Series made a tour of the state; its local spot for photo ops was the Kroger on the other end of the county. People went out of their way to look at it. I was just glad that I didn't have to buy groceries there that day.

I celebrate when football season is OVER.

But the insanity of Alabama spreads across the whole country for the ~~Stupid~~, er, Super Bowl. Work stops. People skip church. In an effort to prevent church skipping, some churches have game-watching events. Let's set aside our worship time and honor the pigskin.

Can you tell I have real problems with that??

Why does everyone in the country stop what they're doing to watch a football game? Why does it matter that much? I can see the entertainment value in watching athletes compete, but when those athletes are paid millions of dollars to play, it looses a little bit of the appeal.

Do we as a society really value the ability to run/throw a pointy ball down the field over the ability to teach math and science? Over the ability to protect our streets and neighborhoods? Over the ability to enter burning buildings and carry folks to safety?

Over the willingness to serve overseas in hostile environments to find and bring terrorists to justice?

Considering what we pay folks who do those things, apparently we do.

And I am offended because all the advertising seems to expect me to join the bandwagon, throw a party, prepare fattening gloppy snacks and make a holiday out of game day.

Sorry. A football game does not a holiday make. I rebel.

I feel better now. ;-)

Faithful Friday Faves - 2 John

2012-01-27T12:38:00.003-06:00

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

I confess to reading ahead last week and kind of pre-picking the verses for 2 and 3 John. It may sound weird, but I had a very poignant morning looking at the writings of John the Beloved, penned years and years after the events he recorded in his gospel. His heart and concern for those he ministered to just shimmered out of the text as I read. He warns and he encourages.

You can read the warnings for yourself; they are every bit as applicable to today's world as they were in the closing years of the first century. I'm going to look at his encouragement today:

And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love - 2 John 5 - 6

'Walking in love,' as John calls it, is often applied to how we treat our fellow man, and it is that. But I think this passage also indicates that we are to walk in love with God, by obeying Him from a position of trust.

Because isn't disobedience basically a lack of trust anyway? That God really doesn't know what's best for me, so I'm going to make my own choices?

If we really trust Him, if we really love Him, obedience follows.

And, if we're obeying Him, we'll be doing right by our fellow humans.

That's walking in love.

Busy Thursday

2012-01-26T21:42:00.000-06:00

Some Thursdays are almost as busy as Mondays.

I don't always work on Thursdays; because I missed most of Tuesday for the stress test, I worked all day today, had a bowl of soup and then went back to church for choir practice.

All day I've been pondering a post for today...but, while I have several topics that are percolating, none of them are quite ripe.

And I'm tired.

So, I thought I'd just leave you with a random quote from my little quote book:

"If you do something perfectly the first time, you waited too long to do it." - Rev. Wm. E. Davis (AKA 'Pastor Bill'...former senior associate pastor at our church).

Every once in a while I need to remind myself of that.

Not So Bad

2012-01-24T20:15:00.000-06:00

The worst thing was the IV port. Took two tries and I ended up with it in the back of my right hand. Once that was in and secure, the testing wasn't so bad.

I had visions of being on hooked up to an IV stand on one side, a bank of machinery on the other, while the treadmill was cranked until I puked or passed out.

The monitoring was remote, so I wore a transmitter. The IV was just one squirt into the line that was taped to my hand when I hit the appropriate heart rate, and, while I was working fairly hard (if I remember correctly, it was 3.5 MPH at 14 degrees incline), I could've gone a little longer or a little faster...but not steeper. When she told me the next increment was 4.2 MPH and 20 degrees, I said, 'You've just talked me into stopping here.'

It only took about 10 minutes.

It was a little unsettling to watch her put the syringe holding the substance that she had just shot into my veins via the IV back into a lead capsule. I mean, really?

Then all I had to do was to sit and consume peanut butter crackers and water and read some more of Beth Moore's Breaking Free while I waited for the isotopes to distribute through my bloodstream.

I actually started reading that book back when I had mono a year ago. I only got half way through it and got busy again; so I thought I'd take it in today and read while I sat around. I really need to go back and read it straight through. There is some incredible, amazing stuff in there. But I digress.

Anyway, the next step was to lie perfectly still on a really hard pallet while a big camera took pictures of the little glow dots moving around my heart. Good time to pray for a couple of friends who need healing. The technician told me there were no blockages evident, so I don't have to go back tomorrow for a repeat 'at rest' picture.

The echocardiagram technician said that I should hear something from my doctor within a few days; she said if everything looks normal I'll probably just get the 'happy letter' in the mail. I'm taking that as a hint that she didn't see anything out of the ordinary, either.

So I'm back to thinking the problem I've been having may have more to do with my upper GI tract than my circulatory system. But I'm feeling better there, too...for the first time since the trip to the ER a couple of weeks ago, I actually felt hungry today.

So the fast has gotten tougher all of a sudden.

Not something I'd want to do too often, but it really wasn't worth the dread after all.

How Connected are We Supposed to Be?

2012-01-23T19:41:00.003-06:00

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Facebook. Twitter. Blogspot. Wordpress. Pinterest. Forums. Skype.

The list could go on and on of ways we are instantly connected to others via electronics and phone lines and wi-fi. It's a good thing to be connected...right?

Certainly it's a great way to share information and learn from others. I know my sewing skills have increased dramatically over what they used to be largely because of the online sewing community. And it's a wonderful way to know what is going on...who needs prayer...where and when I can meet up with friends...

But.

The truth is that we carry a teeny bit of responsibility for everyone we are in contact with. The more we're in contact with them, the more responsible we are to be a positive influence, to help bear their burdens, to value them as fellow humans.

One of my favorite authors, Laura Ingalls Wilder, lived in a world that only had instant communication with folks who were in the same location. To communicate with folks more than just a few miles away took great effort, whether it was a journey in a horse-drawn sleigh, buried under blankets with heated rocks or a letter that was written on both sides and crossways to squeeze every last thought into the least possible paper, both to conserve paper and to keep the expense of the postage at a minimum. The letter might take a month to six weeks to get to its recipient.

Her world of contacts, until she reached adulthood and began writing, was very small.

And even after she became well known for her writing, contact from the those outside of her little community in the Ozarks was still limited to hand written letters and the U S Post Office. Even then, Laura's world was small.

Now the internet has given us a very large world...social networking yields instant contacts with hundreds; with blog sites and such it's potentially thousands.

I recently read an article that said that people who had higher social network interaction with folks tended to describe themselves as less happy than people who spent less time on the site. I don't know if that's because unhappy people are spending more time on the site trying to fill a void, or if spending time on the site actually contributes to unhappiness.

I know I've had my moments of misery when I've gone online and stumbled upon photos of my social-network friends having a lovely time at a party to which I was not invited. Without the internet, I'd've known about the party...maybe, anyway...and shrugged it off. But it's hard to shrug off so many photos of so many folks having a perfectly lovely time without me. That little voice of the Enemy seizes that opportunity big time. And those pictures have a way of resurfacing with new tags or comments and suddenly the event that I forgot is all in front of me, reminding me that I ...didn't make the cut. Wasn't worth inviting. Wasn't wanted.

Whatever. You know what the Enemy whispers to you in similar situations.

But of course its impossible for me to be invited everywhere. I couldn't go if I were. And I've wasted precious moments being hurt over such things...when I have family that I haven't connected with in ages. What's up with that??

But I've found I can't just drop off line. I have friends on the internet...old school friends, singing group friends, sewing friends that I've never met in real life but who are my friends anyway....connections that would be painful to break. And despite my intention to stay off Facebook for the fast, I keep finding myself there. Because it's the communication link of choice with people with whom I need to communicate.

So I'm asking myself...how many connections can a healthy human maintain? Really? Are our face-to-face connections seriously weakened by time and energy diverted to virtual connections; are the virtual connections necessarily bad? Or is it really just another version of the old party line? With the gossipy neighbor who'd listen in on conversations just because she could?

These are the kinds of thought processes that I'm working through. Should my internet involvement change permanently? Am I trying to spread myself too thin...be connected to too many...?

Am I trying to fill a void with the internet that could be filled so much more satisfyingly Elsewhere? Do I use the internet...blogging, facebook, forums, etc...as way to substitute many shallow, minimally responsible connections for the important ones in my own house/family/neighborhood/city?

Or is this just my equivalent of Laura's yellow tablets, written from edge to edge with no margins, because I must tell the story whether or not anyone reads it?

I don't have answers...at least, not now, not yet...but these are the questions I'm asking.

And I'd written all that and was about to click 'Publish' when I realized I was about to post it to the sewing blog. I'd written it all in the wrong place.

There's probably a lesson in that...

From the Plain Vanilla Files: The Bane of Comfortable

2012-01-22T19:42:00.000-06:00

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Every once in a while I rather randomly click through to the smattering of writing I did years ago on the topic of a plain vanilla testimony; I've posted bits and pieces of it here from time to time.

Tonight was one of those nights; I stumbled across a passage that once more addressed an issue that I've been mulling over for a while...the necessity to get over 'comfortable':

...we tend to grow comfortable in whatever statewe are in. Not ‘content’, as Paul saysin Philippians 4:11, ‘comfortable’. Happy with the Way Things Are and unwilling to do anything that mightupset the status quo. We become afraidof doing anything unusual or unfamiliar. In short, we fear to undergo a risk for the kingdom. Now, risk is a somewhat subjective thing; oneperson would not hesitate to give extra for a particular need, another mightquail at extra giving for fear an unforeseen expense could put him in financialdifficulties. One person can stand andspeak freely in front of a crowd; another might nearly hyperventilate at thethought of reading a verse aloud in a small group study. Fear of rejection might keep an individualfrom speaking his/her convictions in the lunchroom at work; fear of lookingfoolish might keep someone else from donning goofy clothes to work in children’schurch. There are many things humansfear, but we cannot allow ourselves to give in to fear and believe that a PlainVanilla Testimony means that we never will have to face a fear and take a riskto follow what God has clearly put in our hearts to do. Spiritual contentment is a good thing;spiritual comfort is too much of a good thing gone stale and stagnant. Don’t confuse the two.

Wired

2012-01-21T12:41:00.002-06:00

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Ever been monitored 24/7?

It's kind of a creepy feeling...but that's part of the 'let's see if we can figure out what's going on' processes the dr. ordered. So I'm strapped up to a little gizmo that transmits EKG data to a cell phone (which is much nicer than my actual cell phone) that can't be more than 10 feet away from the monitoring device.

Can you say bulging pockets? Sagging overweighted waistbands? Looking for my baggy mid-90's sweaters?

We're doing this for 21 days and I'm supposed to punch a button if I experience any more odd/fast pulse episodes...and then the technicians will call me on the cell phone to see what's going on.

I could see this could be interesting if those arrhythmias hit at inopportune moments. And I may have to forego church choir while I'm wearing the monitor, as electronic stuff like that tends to mess with the wireless microphones on the platform.

But I've also been put on a low dose of some alpha/beta blocker medicine, and I can tell that I feel more, um, stable, for want of a better word, so who knows if I will even have another one of those episodes in the next three weeks.

All of this is an interesting counterpoint to the fast. While I'm talking about health things, I might as well mention that part of the reason I wanted to go on an extended fast was to give my upper GI tract an opportunity to heal. I've been really battling w/ acid reflux and an apparent hi*atal h*ernia, to the point where eating just about anything costs me sleep and comfort.

Which is making it relatively easy to fast. I can't eat anyway. Is that cheating? ;-)

I did a 3-week highly restricted fast a few years ago that brought those symptoms under control; I am giving it another try before going back to the GI dr for more aggressive measures. So now you know the complete truth. This is a spiritual fast, yes, but there's more going on.

Physical healing is one of the things I was seeking, even before all the other stuff happened. And I believe I'm on a journey to that point, and that changes in diet and activity and such will be made, and I will come out of it healthier and more responsible.

So I will try hard not to complain for the next 3 weeks about the monitor.

Friday Faithful Faves - 1 John

2012-01-20T09:15:00.000-06:00

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

We are heading into the home stretch.

First John is when anyone reciting the books of the Bible knows they've got it and begins to pick up speed in the recitation....but it is a book to slow down and savor.

By the time John wrote his epistles and the book of Revelation, he was very likely the last of the twelve disciples still left on earth. It was somewhere in the neighborhood of sixty years after the death and resurrection of Jesus when he penned these writings, and he had seen much since then. John was a remarkably old man for the time in which he lived, which accounts for his frequent referral to those to whom he writes as 'dear children'. His top concerns for his readers are that they continue in right relationships with God and with one another, avoiding deceiving teachings that were not in compliance with what John had taught. He begins his letter by reminding them why they could have confidence in what he had shared with them:

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched -- this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you that we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. -- 1 Jn 1: 1 - 3 NIV

After sixtyish years, the immediacy of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus had turned into history; stories from grandpa's day. The majority of the people John ministered to probably weren't even alive when it happened. Jerusalem had been sacked and the Jews sent into exile twenty to twenty five years earlier; the world had changed. John reminds them that he was there with Jesus; he knew Jesus had been an actual human being, walking around and interacting with people. He was an eye witness to all of it.

You can imagine how pained he had to have been to hear the beginnings of false teachings of who Jesus was and what he did emerging. He knew the truth...and the passion of his heart was to share it and see it rooted and unshakeable in those who received it...as you'll see in the next two weeks as we look at Second and Third John.

I Don't Like Cranky

2012-01-19T21:18:00.001-06:00

But I am.

I could go into some of the reasons, but it would just be a whine so I'm not going to subject you to that.

So here is the real challenge of a daily blog; what to share when I got nothin'.

So I'll share a joke one of the pastors told the office staff in the hall this morning:

The pastor's little girl was having a very bad day. Her mother was at her wit's end to try and control her behavior. Finally, she sat her daughter down and said, 'I'm so sorry, dear, but you have just behaved atrociously today. I'm afraid I'm going to have to keep you home from the Sunday School picnic on Saturday."

The little girl was heartbroken and wailed piteously, but her mother was firm that her bad behavior had to suffer the consequences.

The next day, the child's behavior had done a complete reversal. She was submissive, helpful and obedient. The good behavior continued the next day and the next. Impressed, her mother spoke to her husband, wondering if perhaps they should now reward their daughter's dramatic improvement. He was agreeable, so they called the little girl in and told her that, due to continued good behavior, she would be allowed to attend the picnic after all.

To their astonishment, she began to wail piteously once more. 'Honey,' her mother asked,'what's wrong? You can go to the picnic!'

'No, I can't!' the child sobbed, 'I've been praying for rain!'

Well, maybe the sentiment was wrong, but I need to learn to have that much confidence in my prayers... maybe that would help the cranky... ;-)

Always New...

2012-01-17T18:23:00.002-06:00

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Ok, earlier I wrote about re-reading an old favorite book and seeing new stuff, but today I sat down and read a verse I have MEMORIZED...and saw a new application.

This ties in just a bit to last week's jaunt to the ER; my follow-up with the cardiologist was today, so while I was in the youth sanctuary for prayer time I was understandably somewhat preoccupied with the upcoming appointment, in which I hoped to do a few minutes on a treadmill and have some answers.

I want to KNOW what is going on.

Because, you know, there is a certain amount of 'freak out' that happens when scary physical things manifest that no amount of mental rationalization can quite eradicate. Knowledge that it really and truly is an innocuous event is about all that will counter the freak out. Because, as humans, we are always playing Worst Case Scenario.

So it was interesting to me that the study guide for one of the books I'm reading took me to Proverbs 3:5-6, which is the theme verse for the high school girls' class that I teach. I smiled and just wrote it down.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.

Suddenly, that little phrase lean not on your own understanding jumped right off the page at me, and this verse that I have applied so many times in situations where I didn't quite know what was coming next spoke right to my spirit about trusting Him through this little journey that I seem to be taking with my physical body.

Especially when I went for my appointment and the doctor mentioned that there were some things that weren't absolutely normal noted in that report from the ER and ordered a round of testing and monitoring, which will be scheduled tomorrow after insurance approval.

This is not what I intended for the fast to be like.

But I trust Him. And I trust Him to let me know what I need to do each step of the way. So I am not going to try and figure things out ahead of time, but take it...one. step. after. another.

Invisibility Revisited

2012-01-16T17:24:00.000-06:00

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

After yesterday's post on being invisible, I began to wonder if I had posted Nicole Johnson's piece on being invisible and I did a little search on my blog for 'Invisible'.

The posts that came up surprised me. I didn't realize I had talked about invisibility before. I read over them and was chagrined that I seem to be still learning those lessons.

However, the post on diamonds made me smile. Invisibility is a grand thing if it means His light shines through.

And I found I have not posted the link to Nicole's Women of Faith presentation on being an Invisible Woman. It's definitely worth sharing, so as we're contemplating being the implications of being invisible, I'll let Nicole speak to us about it:

Some time with an old friend

2012-01-15T19:58:00.002-06:00

I have several books that I have started over the last few months that I want to try and finish reading during the fast...non-fiction books to get me to look at things in my life...and as I have thoughts on those I'll no doubt be posting them.

And I also have some pretty substantial Bible work to do...more on that on another day, too.

But the last few days I have been savoring a bit of time with an old friend of mine that has suddenly come back to mind, Hannah Hurnard's classic Hinds' Feet in High Place

I can't really remember how long ago it was that a friend loaned me her copy and said I must read it...but I read it, gave it back, immediately ran out and bought my own copy and read it again. I have no idea how many times I've read it since...and I'm pretty sure I've mentioned it before on the blog.

If I had to move to some small dwelling and could only take a half dozen books with me, this would be one. (Oy, sudden thought....I don't know if I COULD just take half a dozen books...)

This time, though, I'm doing something I've not done before...I'm actually underlining some passages. Here is one from chapter 4 that particularly encouraged me:

All the fairest beauties in the human soul, its greatest victories, and its most splendid achievements are always those which no one else knows anything about

But, you know the Good Shepherd knows...

I struggle with feeling invisible. When we first started attending our church, I very clearly heard 'You are to be invisible.'

Just coming from a very small congregation in which we were most certainly visible participants, my weary self relished that word.

But I had so very little concept of what it really meant. Many times in the past 10 years I've come back to that, when my flesh wanted to be offended over some oversight, and reminded myself that He said I was to be invisible.

If He has put a cloak of invisibility on me, I can't be offended by people who don't see through it.

I'll tell you this...invisibility is a wonderful test of motives. It has really made me inspect my actions ...why, really, did I do something? Was it to serve the kingdom...or get grateful kudos for my service?

I'll be honest, I haven't always liked my answers.

But slowly I am learning this lesson...that the most wonderful service is that which is done in secret. Invisible.

Because, you know, He sees the invisible.When He is the only one who sees it, there is no mixture of personal agenda in it. So what is left is pure in motive...and beautiful.

If it needs to be seen by someone else, He's the one that will point it out to them. I don't have to.

And yes, I needed to remind myself of that very much right now.

That's what old friends are for.

So...Yea or Nay?

2012-01-14T14:45:00.000-06:00

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

I mentioned a couple of days ago that, as I listened to the panel discussion at church about fasting, I heard something I hadn't heard before.

Now, back in 2009 (wow, I didn't realize it'd been 3 years!), I wrote a little study on Fasting when we did that year's fast (see sidebar). The first study I did looked at the two men in the Bible who were recorded as having done 40-day fasts( Fasting in Faith). So far as I knew, those were the ONLY two men who were recorded as doing it.

So imagine my surprise to hear one of our panelists state there were THREE men who were recorded as doing 40 day fasts...Moses, Jesus and Elijah.

Elijah! I didn't know Elijah had done a 40 day fast! How did I miss that?

So I pulled out some Bibles and went looking.

To my relief (because I didn't want to make such a boo-boo!) I found that the scripture does not specifically say that Elijah fasted for 40 days.

It can, however, be one way to interpret the verses. That interpretation had just never really occurred to me.

Anyway, here's the passage, from the New International Version:

Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day's journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. "I have had enough, LORD, " he said. "Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors." Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep.

All at once, an angel touched him and said, "Get up and eat." He looked around, and there by his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.

The angel of the LORD came back a second time and touched him and said, "Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you."

So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. -- 1 Kings 19:3-8

It is the phrase 'Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights.' that is the key. Other translations render this as:

[He] went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights - King James

[He} went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights - Amplified AND NASB

And, just for grins

Nourished by that meal, he walked forty days and forty nights - Message

Now that it has been pointed out to me, I can see why folks make the assumption that Elijah ate nothing after that miraculous meal.

But I never read it that way.

See, prior to that meal, Elijah had already traveled a days journey into the wilderness alone.
Before that, he had traveled with urgency all the way from Jezreel to Beersheba...a little over a hundred miles.
Immediately before that, he'd run from Mount Carmel to Jezreel, outrunning Ahab on his chariot (although it's possible that Ahab's chariot got bogged in the mud and was delayed).
Immediately before that, instead of eating, he had prayed earnestly for the rain to return.
Immediately before that, he'd spent a day on Mount Carmel confronting the priests of Baal; then he'd built an altar, butchered an entire bull, and dug a trench around the altar that he'd built. Now, he may or may not have eaten anything during that day...it would have been in character for him to make a point to eat at least a little while the priests of Baal were whipping themselves into a pointless frenzy, but he may have fasted that day as well in preparation for the prayers he made later.

Anyway, my point is that by the time Elijah was sitting under that broom tree, he was completely and utterly spent. I never even considered that the strength that he received from the food the angel gave him was sufficient to get him 40 days down the road without another bite; I always read that that it gave him enough energy to get up and get going...it replenished what he'd depleted and gave him enough strength to go on.

Now, if he DID go 40 days on the strength of that one meal, I'd say that was some pretty potent bread and water the angel gave him. He was obviously supernaturally enabled to do it...which makes his fast of the same sort as the fast that Moses did. It's an interesting point that his journey took him to the same mountain that Moses was on when he did his supernatural 40 day fasts.

So...any thoughts? Did Elijah have a miraculous energy boost? Or did he get enough to get up and get on down the road and eat what he found along the way?

Faithful Friday Faves - 2 Peter

2012-01-13T10:27:00.001-06:00

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

As I read through 2 Peter this time, I was really hit with the poignancy of the book; it is truly Peter's 'last words' to the church, as he knew his martyrdom was imminent. If you have time, read through it (it's only 3 chapters) with the mental picture of Peter sitting in a prison cell, knowing that when he left it would be to go to his death, pouring the burden of his heart to those he has discipled in the faith.

How incredible, then, are these words:

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. - 2 Peter 1:3

I think my prayer in response to this has got to be something like

Lord, let me be satisfied with those things that YOU say I need and not be pining for what I THINK I need...and give me discernment to know the difference.

Maybe Not Wednesdays...

2012-01-12T17:51:00.001-06:00

I woke up around 3 AM this morning, which is not terribly unusual. What was unusual was that I really couldn't fall back asleep, for one reason or another. And, somewhere in the rearranging of pillows and blankets to find that magic spot to doze off before the alarm, I suddenly realized that I hadn't posted yesterday.

So much for successfully posting every day for 40 days.

But, as I laid there, I realized that it really would've taken an incredible effort to have posted yesterday. I worked all day, went to church last night, and helped The Flute Player with a costume for a birthday party tomorrow night. (She would NOT process the words 'You.Don't.Have.Time.' And, softie that I am, I am trying to keep her from complete failure on her effort.)So, not only did I not post, I didn't even THINK about posting.

And, you know, I think it is a little far fetched to expect myself to post on Wednesdays, which are very busy days even without last-minute costuming whims. But, I can talk about yesterday for a moment.

The main service last night was a panel discussion of prayer and fasting, and I ended up taking my Friends girls down so they could hear it. I got an usher to reserve us some seats up in the eye-contact section, gave them notepaper and told them any notes they took would count towards the project for this unit. (note: I believe there will be a podcast of that panel available in the next few days; if I can find it I'll link it...just in case anyone's curious)

What was emphasized over and over is the necessity of prayer to accompany fasting, with the explanation that it is not the act of fasting itself that is important, but the shift of focus to an unusual pursuit of the heart of God for the season, which fasting facilitates.

And I heard something about a person in the Bible fasting for 40 days that I didn't recall...so I'm off to check that out and report later. I may have to go back and edit one of my old posts in the fasting study if it turns out I really did miss that...

Not to be Shaken...

2012-01-10T18:49:00.001-06:00

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

I will admit to being a bit, um, shaken by the events of the last 48 hours. I went back to work today, which is staff prayer day, and sat down in the sanctuary during that quiet time before we come together to pray corporately and found myself asking God what was going on...I wanted to have faith and believe that it's all going to be alright, but my human spirit was not feeling very faith-filled. And this was really a pretty minor thing, considering none of the lab work showed anything out of the ordinary. I just don't like uncertainty...and I was trying hard to fight that off

This time, when I opened my little NASB office Bible, it fell open to Acts chapter 2, and this is what began the page:
I was always beholding the LORD in my presence; For He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken. Therefore my heart was glad and my tongue exulted; moreover my flesh also will abide in hope. (Acts 2: 25 - 26)

One more time, God used His Word to speak directly to the questions and issues of my heart. I know this is not the best way to hear from God, but it is more objective that journaling in some ways; there's no way I subconsciously picked that verse.

God is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken

That prompts a mental picture of a dad running alongside a bicycle, ready to steady his youngster's wobbling ride. The only difference is I will NEVER cease to need my Father alongside of me to steady me when I wobble...and He will never fail to be there.

Didn't Plan to Start This Way...

2012-01-09T10:48:00.001-06:00

...with a little trip to the ER...

Without going into a whole lot of boring tedious detail, I had an episode of tachycardia (elevated/irregular heartbeat) that I thought I probably should get checked yesterday.

I felt really foolish because I wasn't feeling ill...just very odd...and all the tests came back normal. Around midnight my pulse was back into the normal range and I was sent home with instructions to follow up with the heart center and come back if it recurred. And I was grateful for the medical personnel who'd told me I'd done the right thing by going down when I admitted to feeling rather foolish for being there.

Now, I'd planned to work my way through Lysa TerKeurst's Made to Crave while I was on the fast, but I picked it up on my way out of the door.

Y'all, I read The. Whole. Book. Even went over the questions at the end of the chapters and mentally answered them; I didn't have my journal with me but I couldn't have written anything anyway owing to all the stuff attached to my right hand.

I probably had time to go back and read it again, but by the time I finished My Sweet Baboo (who'd been on a business trip to Nashville) arrived and relieved The Artist, who'd played chauffeur, and was admitted back to the little room so I had someone to talk to.

So the observations that I'd planned to share over a series of posts got pretty condensed and I really came away with two or three points that applied to me, specifically.

The first is that I really don't think I use food as comfort. I don't crave sweets when I'm stressed (actually, I lose my appetite under extreme stress) or needing validation or any of the other reasons folks use food to appease their emotions; I eat too much simply because I enjoy it. "I deserve this" isn't the motivation for eating something, although I might joke that it is. The truth is I am simply indulging my flesh. I need to substitute discipline for indulgence. Lysa's statement that I hold the power, not the food applies to me more as My spirit makes the decisions, not my flesh. I don't look at a 5 Guys Hamburgers sign and hear the siren song of the cheeseburgers, I hear my flesh saying,'Oh, that would taste so good!'. Food is not my enemy. My flesh...that pleasure-seeking, appetite-driven, self-centered human spirit...is the enemy.

And we have less than healthy meals because, well, it's quick and easy to make mac-and-cheese and hot dogs. It takes PLANNING to eat healthy, both making the plan and executing the plan.

In other words, I need to be more responsible in the 'meal planning/grocery buying/ stopping what I'm doing and cooking a real dinner' department.

Not just for myself; my family deserves healthy meals, too (although they will likely prefer mac and cheese and hot dogs...)

And finally, she said that it was the fourth week that the sugar cravings peaked. I gave up sugar and sweets for 12 weeks a couple of years ago, but not breads and pasta, so I don't think I've really walked through that before. I'm at least forewarned that the 4th week may be rough.

But for the moment, the trip to the ER has pretty much killed my interest in food. For at least the first few days, I shouldn't have too much of a battle.

Making an Exception

2012-01-07T12:23:00.000-06:00

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

We have a pretty standard policy in our house that we do not buy stuff on our doorstep. Now, kids selling fruit for band and the like are not under that policy, but door-to-door salespeople just annoy the stew outta me. If I want to make a purchase of magazines or cleaners or whatever, I want to do it at my convenience, with ample time to consider my options.

And I'm really put off by the folks who want me to 'vote' for them by buying stuff.

Now, I am not without sympathy for people who are working the best job they could find. What I have problems with are the manipulative techniques used. So we just made a policy that we don't buy from door-to-door salespeople.

So why did I buy a CD ROM of Native American artifacts/historical sites on my front porch a couple of days ago?

The guy even mentioned that he is an out of work programmer/graphics designer when he introduced himself. Lose points for playing the sympathy card.

But, unless he was lying to me (and I don't think he was), the product he was selling was a result of 8 years of his own work on something that he was passionate about.

He has been researching and photographing Native American sites and artifacts that are all in our area of the country. With the work that we do with kids, particularly My Sweet Baboo's work with low income boys, I could see the potential for educational use of the disc. But beyond that, something stirred in me that I really didn't identify at the moment and I surprised myself by giving him ten bucks for a CD....which I haven't even looked at yet.

It wasn't until the next day that I realized what it was that touched my spirit. He was selling his own dream; something he cared about.

I can identify with that.

Now, I'm not peddling it on doorsteps, but I have a labor of passion that I would like to 'sell' to some folks. Not exactly for money, but for favor on it.

A script.

And I realized that by seeing his dream and offering my bit of support, I was doing for him what I am praying will be done for me. Which is why my spirit reacted so quickly to buy the disc, before my conscious mind even processed why.

He was taking a great risk by exposing something dear to him to possible rejection. I just couldn't stomp on that.

Even if the CD turns out to be pitiful, ten dollars is a small price for encouragement to try.

Faithful Friday Faves: 1 Peter

2012-01-06T09:50:00.000-06:00

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

I have a lot of verses underlined in 1 Peter; there's a lot of solid teaching on a variety of subjects there.

But, maybe because it's the start of the year, there was a repeated phrase that stood out to me as I skimmed through; I hadn't noticed the repeat before. So I'm going to list all three verses in which that phrase appears:

Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. (1:13)

The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. (4:7)

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. (5:8)

Seeing the verses together like that, I see another concept that is likewise repeated, having to do with the mind:

prepare your minds for action...be clear minded...alert

One of the purposes of the upcoming fast is to eliminate distractions; it will be a practice of self-control. This is not something to be endured, but something to be exercised.

It is not and end in itself, but a foundation for later.

Ten Lords A-Leaping

2012-01-03T19:19:00.001-06:00

Hard to believe that, technically, it's still Christmas for two more days.

I didn't grow up in a liturgical church; I came late to the idea of a church calendar with such seasons as Advent, Lent, and those that end with '-tide'. But My Sweet Baboo did, and he quickly made me aware of such things...when I began dismantling Our First Christmas Tree on Our First New Year's Day Together 31 years ago. I saw the light, brothers and sisters, and I have been a proponent of celebrating Advent and THEN Christmas ever since.

But, as I have lamented on previous posts and will no doubt lament on future posts, life in the US does not lend itself to celebration of the 12 Days of Christmas. So I took all the decorations off the tree yesterday, when I had time, and was rather shocked to see the tree abandoned in the side yard when I came home from work today. I was perfectly willing to leave it as a rather large fragrant bouquet in its stand in the living room until we could haul it to the community mulch pile, but MSB was tired of trying to keep the kitty out of it, so into the yard it went.

There is very little associated with the holiday more pitiful than the discarded tree laying around.

We had a fresh cut tree this year, since we didn't travel as we usually do. It came from the tree farm that grows Charlie Brown trees, and it had a crooked trunk and two peaks...the largest of which was well off from the center. But a little love did wonders and I really enjoyed it for the 2.5 weeks it was up.

But, unlike an artificial tree which can be packed away and consigned to the attic, something must be done with the fresh tree. So, for the moment, it's flopped all forlorn in the side front yard.

And, me being me, I started looking for Spiritual Applications from the sight.

So I have you, my dear readers, all primed for some lovely bit of wisdom pertaining to the sight of the tree that I'd carefully lit and decorated and enjoyed as the focal point of my living room drying out in the chilly winter sunshine.

Except my revelation is really very trite and very lame...our society's substitute celebration of the birth of Christ is fun while it lasts, but in the end...it dries up. It is Christ Himself that is the ever-increasing glory, and if we miss that in the tree and lights and presents and holiday busy-ness, we really have nothing.

So, get a mental picture of ten stately proper society gents doing grande jetes because God came to live amongst us, and have a merry last two days of Christmas.

Welcome to 2012

2012-01-01T18:22:00.001-06:00

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

I don't really make New Year's Resolutions. But Jan 1 is a good time to take stock of what's happening, what shouldn't be happening that is, what should be happening that isn't, and what I can do about either one.

If 2011 was about transition, I think 2012 is going to be about implementation. The observable changes from 2011 aren't so obvious; but I have some internal things that have changed. I think there is a 'critical mass' point of, well, disgust with the status quo that must be achieved before any real change takes place.

And I think I spent most of 2011 building up to that critical mass point in a number of areas.

But I need to be strategic in how the changes are implemented or I will overwhelm myself and flop right back down into the comfortable but unproductive mess. Only it won't be comfortable any more and I'll feel even worse.

Now, every January we have a 21 day fast declared at church. A Fast of Submission, for those of you who weren't here when I did my little study on fasting. For quite a while...maybe the past 3 months...I've been feeling a call to take this year's fast to another level, because *I* have issues that I need to deal with by focusing on them with prayer and time priority. The idea of a 40 day seeking fast began to present itself to me. Not a total abstinence sort of thing, but 40 days of minimal food and media with the purpose of setting priorities on some other things that have been sorely neglected.

I was kicking this around on one of the last staff prayer mornings, wondering if I were just trying to be religious or if I really had the call and grace of God to to that. Because if it was just my own will power trying to assert itself, I might have a religious exercise but no transformation. But if this is a God-inspired idea, well, things will change. But how could I know?

Well, I did the ol' random-verse thing. And the passage my Bible fell open to was in Ezekiel 4, where Ezekiel is being given instructions about the demonstration of siege that he was to give the people of Israel and Judah. I began in verse 1 and read along, almost amused at the scenario (THIS is what I need to hear??), plainly thinking that there wasn't anything here for me, when I came to a phrase at the tail end of verse 6 that seemed to jump off the page at me and straight up gave me goosebumps:

I have assigned you 40 days

So. 40 days it is.

I will have a short list of foods that I will eat; I've discovered that I can't go more than about 2 days on juice and water or I get can't-spell-my-name stupid. So I will have some low fat protein in the mix. But only a little.

And I will forgo Internet media and the like except for one thing.

I intend to blog daily on Beer Lahai Roi.

Part of the reason I started BLR was to put a demand on the revelation of God in my life. And I have been very lax in doing that. The sewing blog will sit idle for 6 weeks, but I plan to blog HERE to keep myself accountable and to keep myself looking and seeking. I need that discipline back in my life.

This is really different than any other fast I've done; I'm excited about it and intimidated by it at the same time. BUT...I know God has great reservoirs of grace, and it's that grace that I'm depending upon to get through it.

The church's fast is set to go from (I think) Jan 15 - Feb 4; I'm going to start about week early (Jan 9) and go almost two weeks longer (Feb. 18).

It's kind of interesting that the Friday Faithful Faves post at the end of the fast will be Revelation

I debated the value of sharing all this publicly, because a fast really is supposed to be very personal. But my motive here is not to demonstrate my spirituality...but to just be honest and say I am sick and tired of the same old traps and habits and patterns and I need to break out of them.

Its time to implement some change.

So 'Change Twenty Twelve' is going to be the label for the series...however it turns out....

Faithful Friday Faves: James

2011-12-30T15:17:00.005-06:00

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Anyone who's hung around Beer Lahai Roi for while knows James is one of my favorite books. I taught a Bible study for the local Christian Women's Job Corps site (back when the local folks only had one site) for a couple of years, repeating James for each class (one class referred to me as 'The James Lady'), and it was one of the first Bible studies I did on BLR (see sidebar). So picking my favorite verse from James is...difficult.

So I am not going to claim today's verse is my absolute favorite from the book. It is, however, the one that has been repeating itself over and over in my head since I first contemplated picking a passage from James:

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. - James 1:2-4, NIV

I picked up The Message last night and read that same passage; it reads like this:

Consider it a sheer gift, my friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.

What hit me from The Message translation is the phrase 'don't try to get out of anything prematurely.'

Put that with the NIV phrase 'Perseverance must finish its work', and I begin to think that the concept I need to try and wrap my brain around is that bad things aren't always bad. There is a perspective that I cannot see from the midst of a crisis or trial that I have to trust is there; a perspective that shows there is a purpose in the trial.

What I have to do is not try to create a short cut to get out of the trial before that purpose is accomplished, but walk through it.

And be joyful, 'cause there's good coming out of it. Whether I see it or not.

Friday Faithful Faves - Hebrews

2011-12-23T15:50:00.001-06:00

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

(No, I am not going to make the joke about men making coffee...but it's tempting!)

Hebrews is another one of those books that I could spend weeks in, mining nugget after nugget, but I thought I'd pick a verse that my Friends Club girls have to learn when we do the unit on Bible:

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. -- Heb. 4:12, NIV

As I skimmed through Hebrews, I noted how much Old Testament scripture was quoted, and I frowned a bit as I realized the author didn't always cite the source; sometimes he (she? I've heard a few opinions that offer Priscilla as a possible author, but, given the social norms of the day, that would be very surprising) doesn't even seem to remember much about the origin of the quote, using phrases like 'someone said' or 'in another place' to introduce the quotes.

But then it hit me...not only the author of Hebrews, but all the New Testament authors had to quote OT Scripture ENTIRELY from memory.

The only copies were kept locked up.

They didn't have a pocket Torah, or an online reference, or Strong's concordance to help them.

Every one of the Old Testament quotes in the New Testament was spoken/written from memory.

No wonder the author of Hebrews was less than absolutely precise...and no wonder there is some variation between the actual text in the OT and the quote in the NT.

Let's say you or I had to teach someone about our faith...and we could only use the verses we have committed to memory. How would we do?

I'm afraid I'd be rather pitiful; I've memorized the same verses in King James, NIV and New King James, due to differences in preferred texts over the years of belonging to different churches; most times a verse comes out a mishmash of all three. And the reference? I can usually remember what book it's in. Um, usually.

But look at the power of the word...and how the author of Hebrews builds his arguments from the word that was so obviously part of his very identity.

For some time, I've been feeling that I need to be more intentional about memorizing scripture; this really hammers that point home.

A discipline for 2012.

Faithful Friday Faves: Philemon

2011-12-16T11:22:00.001-06:00

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

(Just curious...have you been taught to pronounce the name of this short, very personal letter Fie-LEE-mon or FILL-a-mon? I've heard it both ways... )

I'm tempted to just put the whole book down as my text for the week; it's only 25 verses; it barely runs over one page in my Scofield NIV. But I will pick one bit that stands out to me:

If he has done you any wrong or owes you any thing, charge it to me. I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand. I will pay it back - v. 18 - 19a

This was a risky undertaking for both Paul and his protegee, Onesimus. Moral issues of slavery aside, they were dealing with the law of the land. Both of them put personal safety/freedom/finances at risk to Do the Right Thing under that law. Paul goes on to exhort his friend Philemon to Do the Right Thing as a believer and follower of Christ...which he had just modeled in taking on Onesimus's debt.

Paul did not ask Philemon to do something costly before he himself set that example.

Christmas Past

2011-12-13T16:34:00.002-06:00

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

This is a year of transition; I have been minimizing it as 'not that big of a change', but the truth is, as I am finally acknowledging, we have a major transition in the family and I think some of my holiday apathy is directly related to that change.

But as I reflected on that, I realized that the 'traditional Christmas' is something of a myth.

The first Christmas I remember was 1962. I was 3 years old; my little sister was 1 1/2. Mom didn't even put up a Christmas tree; our gifts were all on the round coffee table. In fact, it was years before I realized that memory was actually Christmas.

I remember bits and pieces of the next few Christmases up until the year I was nine, when I figured out that Santa was a story and was mortified, as I had VEHEMENTLY defended Santa to my classmates. A carelessly hidden gift that year was evidence I couldn't refute. Santa died to me that year.

Christmas magic came back the year I shopped for my siblings and found a perfect top for my sister. I was in 8th grade when I discovered the joy of giving.

My freshman year of college I was away from home and suffering acutely from homesickness during the Advent season. It was a real joy to come home and see the tree, short and squatty, with GE Lighted Ice Snowball lights and strings of tinsel. I spent a lot of time sitting in the living room just looking at it.

(BTW, I wish I could find these lights in some kind of reproduction! Hint, Hint, Christmas light manufacturers...)

The next year I was home but working full time and not around much; the following year My Future Sweet Baboo and I split Christmas between our parents (literally; we drove the 3.5 hours from my folks to his on Christmas day; that was a split day any way you look at it) and the following year we instituted the holiday pilgrimage from Alabama to Indiana; 5 years later we actually missed the Hoosier Christmas and stayed home with our week old firstborn but the next year we added the first kid to the holiday pilgrimage and made the trek again, 2 years later we altered our gift giving (because it was STUPID to haul our kids' gifts to Indiana and back just so they could open them on Christmas day). Through the years we actually stayed in Alabama for Christmas a couple of more times; missing family but enjoying a relaxing break.

I know this is lengthy, but it illustrates my point just a little...Christmas celebrations have always been evolving. There really is no 'Christmas as it used to be', there's only 'Christmas as it was for a few years back in the day'.

I believed in Santa for about 5 years. That's all. And I believed longer than most kids. We had a marvelous family caroling event for about the first 10 years or so we were married, then it got to be too difficult to coordinate w/far-flung families and their kids. We actually had 'all ' the family only about 3 times during that period. We bought gifts for everyone, then we drew names, now we're stuffing each other's stockings.

There are a few elements that have not changed from one Christmas to the next, but it's also true that each Christmas celebration has been unique. Something has adapted to changes every year.

This year is no different. We will adapt. We are moving to a new stage; from kids to married kids to kids with kids to the new stage: inlaws who host kids. The Parents.

And, I'll be honest, this year I'm trying to find the things that don't change to give us the foundation for the big changes that have happened.

Because what we do this year will likely set the tone for the way our progeny will look back on Christmas when our grandkids are moving out and they are wishing for Christmas 'the way it used to be.'

Maybe I should hop over to ebay and buy those vintage snowball lights...nah...

Changing the Soundtrack

2011-12-12T22:33:00.000-06:00

Posted by Lisa Laree on Beer Lahai Roi

For the most part, I love Christmas music. I only listen to it between Thanksgiving and Epiphany, so it kind of stays special, but there are a few Christmas songs that just make me cringe. As in, if the song comes on, I'll turn the radio off or walk out of the store. Songs in that category include:

The Christmas Shoes
I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas
Happy Christmas

The Christmas Shoes is on that list because it's plot manipulation at its worst...sappy and unbelievable and I CAN'T STAND THAT SONG.

I Want a Hippopotamus is just unbelievably annoying.

However, John Lennon's Happy Christmas is in a class by itself...a depressing Christmas song. A cynical Christmas song. An everything-that-Christmas-should-never-be Christmas song.

But guess which song seems to be my silent personal soundtrack this holiday season; the refrain that plays over and over in the back of my head.

So this is Christmas...

I can't seem to hit the eject button. Because this Christmas just doesn't feel...right.

I've tried a bit to figure out what's going on. We are not following our typical Christmas pattern this year; we usually travel and visit with family; this year we're staying home. We are down one young 'un in the house this year; the slow progression to the empty nest has kicked in. We have a remodeling project that has resulted in a very untidy house and seriously cramped my decorating for the holidays style. All of which I think is contributing to the refrain.

But, more than that, for some reason I have become hyper aware of the pain of folks around me. The people that come for help to our church food distribution center; the pleas for help with gifts for children on the church communication cards that we enter each week; the images of emaciated children from Africa. Orphans in Moldova, foster kids in Alabama...all with needs much greater than mine or any of my family's. Shopping for gifts...even small ones...for folks who really don't need anything is getting harder each year. Part of me really wants to take what we spend on family gifts and give it away.

And yet. Christmas is a family bonding time, and there are those in the family whose love language is gifts. To tell them they should not give or expect to receive gifts would be cruel. And I have wonderful memories of both giving and receiving gifts that mean something...should that not be extended to my kids and (future possible) grandkids?

I am struggling to stay focused on the Miracle of Christmas, the Incarnation. The decorations or lack thereof, the clean or cluttered house, the right or wrong choice of gifts, the Christmas eve service that is more trendy than traditional...none of that affects the Miracle one whit.

God looked at His creation and knew we would not be able to redeem ourselves, and so came to live amongst us and die as one of us so that we could be restored and live with Him.

THAT is Christmas. Get out of my head, John Lennon.

Faithful Friday Faves - Titus

2011-12-09T21:49:00.001-06:00

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Wow. Today's verse really grabbed me:

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age - Titus 2:11-12, NIV

In the midst of the not-ready-for-the-holiday chaos that I am finding myself in (and, despite the fact that I am not costuming a big production or working many hours on a big project at work, I am farther behind in my holiday preparations this year than I think I have ever been), I need to let the grace of God teach me to say 'No' to those things that are distractions.

And then I need to be self-controlled enough to stick to that.

Thank God for His grace...

Faithrul Friday Faves - 2 Timothy

2011-11-25T11:02:00.001-06:00

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

I waffled back and forth between a couple of different verses, but I ultimately picked the one that was the most personally encouraging, as well as one of the most familiar verses from 2 Timothy.

However, I decided to put it together with the preceding verse, not only for context, but because it puts a slightly different slant on it:

For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline - 2 Tim. 1: 6-7

We often see verse 7 quoted by itself as an encouragement that we should be brave, but verse 6 provides the purpose for such bravery: fanning into flame the gift of God that has been deposited in us.

I'm not going into what the 'gift of God' could mean at this point...what I'm going to focus on is 'fan into flame'...i.e., we have personal responsibility to grow and mature and implement what God has given us.

And that takes some pushing past things. I like the NIV translation 'timidity'...other versions use 'fear', which is sort of the same thing; the difference, to me, is one of degree. Timidity is not a huge paralyzing fear. It's a little fear, a hanging-back sort of fear, a let-someone-else-go-first sort of fear.

It is precisely the fear I find myself battling the most.

Lack of confidence, unsure...am I really hearing God here?

If I fan my gifting into flame...feed it, encourage it, through exercising the self-discipline with love always as my motive (not self-promotion! That Greek word is agape!), I will have power to break through that cowardice and put that gift to work for the kingdom.

(side note: I'll be chaperoning a school trip next Friday, so FFF will pick up in two weeks :-D )

Faithful Friday Faves - 1 Timothy

2011-11-18T10:40:00.001-06:00

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Today's pick is actually one of the memory verses that my Friends Club girls learn in the course of their three years:

Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love , in faith and in purity - 1 Tim. 4:12, NIV

As I read that this morning, it occurred to me that the word "young" could be replaced by about any adjective pertaining to people groups and the verse would still hold true. Timothy WAS young for the leadership roles that he had; but he had had Paul for a mentor and was well able to carry that responsibility.

He could not allow himself to be cowed or intimidated by the folks who wanted to discount his authority simply because he was young.

But...look at how he was to handle the situation. Paul didn't tell him to argue against the prejudices of others, or to take the situation before any type of judge to try and censor that wrong thinking, or to marginalize and belittle those who didn't respect him. No, Paul told him to set a godly example in all areas of his life regardless of what others thought/said/did.

All of us have things in our past that would, to some, be disqualifiers for working in the kingdom. Some of the things may be unavoidable; some may be temporary (Timothy wouldn't be young forever); some may be the result of bad choices or lack of opportunity.

But Paul's instruction is the same regardless of any of that: Don't let anyone put you down because you [are/have/were/ _______]. Teach believers with your life: by word, by demeanor, by love, by faith, by integrity. (The Message)

It's not about being personally validated; it's about modeling the kingdom.

Faithful Friday Faves: 2 Thessalonians

2011-11-11T11:35:00.001-06:00

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Suffering. End times. Deception. Apostasy. Judgment. Retribution.

Ouch.

A rather prickly book.

And amid all the warnings to and about those who choose disobedience, we see an injunction to folks who are getting tired of fighting the battles.

But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good. - 2 Thess. 3:13 NKJV

There really isn' t any particular promise or reward associated with that instruction; just an acknowledgement that it is a struggle to maintain a believer's perspective and continuity in word and deed.

But sometimes that acknowledgement, "Don't give up...you're doing good," is enough to keep going.

I know I needed to hear that today.

The Holiday Greetings War

2011-11-09T09:17:00.000-06:00

I've started getting the annual emails from folks who are upset about the use of the term 'Happy Holidays' in the latter part of the year.

Normally, I just keep my mouth shut about such things but I really want to point something out about the hubbub that's been repeating itself for about 6 years now.

When I was a kid, back in the dark ages before cable TV, let alone the Internet, 'Happy Holidays' was a common wish and I don' t remember anyone raising a fuss about it. With Christmas and New Year's Day just a week apart, 'Happy Holidays' covered both of them.

And that was when everyone we knew in our little midwest farm community celebrated Christmas. We were a pretty homogenous bunch.

But society has diversified, and there are people of other religions who do not celebrate Christmas filtering through more and more of our population. I've even met a few Christians who do not celebrate Christmas (the Pilgrims actually outlawed the observation of Christmas). While I am heartily inclined to wish any and all a blessed and merry Christmas, it doesn't seem to be wise or courteous to offer such greetings to someone to whom December 25 is just another day.

And, yes, I am well aware that Jesus very likely was not born on December 25. I understand that early church leaders kind of set that date to assist pagans in leaving their old practices by substituting Christian-related activities for the old ones, and over time many of the old pagan practices have taken on Christian meanings and been incorporated into the Christmas tradition. The Christian folks who object to the celebration of Christmas based on those facts do have a point. I myself sometimes have trouble with the 'Jesus is the Reason for the Season' thinking. Yes, He is the reason I celebrate the season, but folks were celebrating that season in different ways for a long time before Christ was associated with it. Personally, I don't care so much what date he was born; the fact that he WAS born...that he came for the purpose of redemption and reconciliation, knowing the cost, is enough for me to celebrate and worship.

So, given all of that, how should Christians deal with the increasing secularization of Christmas and the attempts by the retail industry to include (and gain profit from) diverse religious groups who are celebrating holidays other than Christmas during that time of the year?

May I ever so gently suggest that sign-waving, boycotts, and indignant emails may not be the best means of conveying the hope and message of Christmas to folks who Just Don't Get It?

Because, what is really important in the observation of Christmas anyway? As the Grinch learned, it isn't the trappings and trees and lights, it's that Christ came to us. How we treat each other is a greater reflection of that message than how loudly we may declare to the world around us that they should get their secular hands off our religious holiday.

Jesus didn't come so we could have Our Own Religion; he came so that anyone could come to him and find freedom and deliverance and healing and joy.

Faithful Friday Faves - 1 Thessalonians

2011-11-04T09:44:00.000-05:00

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Can I be honest? I'm not entirely comfortable with the passage that stood out to me today as I skimmed 1 Thessalonians; it has such potential to come across so harsh. I wanted to wimp out and go with something a little safer, but I can't seem to get away with that today, so, well, here goes:

For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit. - 1 Thess. 4:7 - 8

I mentioned last year that I read Corrie ten Boom's Tramp for the Lord and was so impressed with the story of her ministry. One of the things that has stuck with me from the book is that whenever she encountered someone who wanted to argue with her about her stand on moral issues, she'd simply reply that the individual wasn't disagreeing with her, but with God.

The plain truth is that God has given us some pretty clear standards on behavior. If I point out what God says (and I'm talking about things that are stated to bring judgement and/or to be inappropriate for God's people clearly and plainly in the Bible for all to see), I am not being judgmental. Judgment is what happens when you look at someone's behavior and make assumptions about their motives and/or intentions. Just repeating God's word about a particular moral issue is not passing judgment. If God says something is wrong, it is wrong. There's no point in getting angry at a human being for pointing that out.

Because, as 1 Thess. 4:8 shows us, and Corrie ten Boom pointed out, the disagreement isn't with man...it's with God. Scorning the messenger doesn't change the message, and marginalizing the message doesn't make it go away.

I'm just along for the ride...

2011-11-01T22:34:00.001-05:00

This is one of those days that surprised me every time I turned around.

So of course it's a blog post, but you'll have to bear with me 'cause every one of those turns is like its own little story...except they all go together into one very cool picture of how God does things....

Backstory: this is Tech Week for the one-act competition. The Flute Player, who currently is not playing her flute anywhere, is playing a villain in their entry. Due to a change in faculty, and the who-knows-why delays in filling the post, there was no drama teacher in our city theater performance magnet for about the first 6 weeks of school. The Technical Theater teacher selected a play and began casting it, so when the new teacher arrived he inherited a show that he didn't choose and didn't have a vision in place for, and no time to do anything else. So he went with it. Besides being new to the position, his wife had a baby a couple of weeks ago and he had a car wreck a week ago that cracked some ribs. So I am cutting him much slack in that I didn't get any word on any costuming help needed until Friday last week...and that was only Rebekah's costume. I got her jacket altered but didn't get the pants hemmed, then yesterday I got asked to also alter a pair of pants worn by the lead and a dress worn by the Femme Fatale character. I took the pants, but asked him to see if he could please get someone else to do the dress...it was bias poly charmeuse (beastly fabric) and needed pretty extensive alterations and I just didn't feel like I had time to do it. He said he'd try, but didn't sound hopeful.

So I fixed up both pairs of pants last night, and took them to work with me so that I could run them over to school about lunch time. I decided that if no one had been able to do the dress I'd just have to take it home and make up my work hours later in the week, as there IS a performance on Thursday. But I wasn't happy about that; it was really an intimidating project.

Now, on the way to work I pass by a building that is used by a non-Christian religious group as an educational/prayer center, and every time I drive by I shake my head and, to be honest, pray a prayer for those folks. Today was no different in that respect, but today I happened to read (again) their invitation to 'come pray with us!' and suddenly heard in my spirit 'These people pray earnestly without knowing Me, but those called by My Name are a prayerless people". Now, I know those folks pray from religious compulsion, but they do pray. By comparison, most Christians DO have a much more casual attitude about prayer. It convicted me and I pondered my own inconsistent prayer life as I drove to church for, of all things, weekly staff prayer.

I got my desk Bible and journal and headed to the sanctuary and found a seat, pondering the difference between last week, when I went to staff prayer earnestly expecting to hear from God, and this morning, when I was all in a swivet about possibly having to rearrange my work week to fix a dress I wasn't sure I could fix. I was really having trouble focusing...should I take the dress and do my best? Or just stand my ground that I really couldn't give it the time it needed to be done right? But what would they do for a costume for that character? And so I waffled.

But as I struggled with what I should do, one of the verses that I almost picked for the FFF verse from Colossians came to mind...and I took it as a direction and decided to look it up and record it. But when I flipped to Colossians, my eyes landed on 4:2 : Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

That didn't seem coincidental to me; I wrote that verse down, then wrote down the verse I was looking for to begin with (3:17, if you're curious) just as our Senior Pastor called us together for corporate prayer.
And he began to pray, and suddenly was praying passionately that we would all get a burden and anointing for prayer and pray without ceasing. He prayed in that vein for several minutes before moving on...and I was so impressed by the three reminders to that we are to pray that I stopped him in the hallway later than morning to share them.

I worked at my desk for an hour, then headed over to the school to take in the altered pants and find out if I had to sew the dress or not....and the answer was not! Someone else took it! I went back to work with a huge sense of relief...and found a discussion under way about some missing stage drapes. Our pastors' daughter is getting married this week, and some of the drapes they were planning to use for stage decor are not in their place. My sewing buddy Miss A indicated that we might have to do some replacement sewing in a hurry. Well, at least that would be something I knew I could do...but, the decision was to continue to look for the missing drapes...they were last seen in February and had to be around someplace.

I finished my workday and headed off to get The Flute Player from her bus. While I was waiting in the parking lot for the bus to pull in, I got a phone call from our Senior Co-pastor (that would be our pastor's wife, who also serves as senior pastor...husband/wife teams at our church). She said she had a big favor to ask of me and...I mentally began thinking how much fabric I would need to pick up at Hancock's and when I would get the panels serged....could I please teach her study class tonight? Wedding preparations had become undelagateable and were multiplying rapidly.

That was NOT what I expected to hear. I didn't know I was on the substitute teacher list. I'd lost track of which chapters of our current book (The Cry God Hears, by Barbara Yoder) we'd covered in class, since were were only loosley following the topics. We decided I should cover chapters 7 and 8, more or less, then let the ladies break up into discussion groups.

The Flute Player got off the bus and we headed home...we had 45 minutes before we had to leave the house to get her to school in time to get into costume and for me to head on to church.

And she wanted me to help her with her gangsterish accent (think of the head weasel in 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit') in the time we had available. I picked up my book to remind myself of the topics in chapter 7 and 8 (and thanked God for prompting me to read ahead earlier in the week), and found that chapter 7 talked about positioning oneself for kingdom use and chapter 8 was about...travailing in prayer.

Wow. So prayer was to be tonight's emphasis. I scribbled some really rough notes, then talked like a New York gangster for all the way to school to get her used to it, scooted over to church and picked up the sign in sheet, then headed down to our meeting room.

And spent the next hour and a half pretty much only touching my notes now and again. That was the largest group of adults I'd ever stood before to teach. And I only sorta know what I said. I just pray that God anointed their ears so that they heard what He intended, even if it wasn't exactly what I said.

I did, however, end with a challenge to set aside some time to pray. Which I OBVIOUSLY need to make sure I do...I've been told often enough today...

Faithful Friday Faves: Colossians

2011-10-28T12:06:00.003-05:00

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

I've changed my mind on my Colossians selection a couple of times, and thought I had finally picked one and pulled up the New Post screen to elaborate.

And happened to turn the page, and my eyes lit on different verse, and it has become today's choice:

For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form - Col. 2:9 NIV

That kinda settles it, doesn't it? 'All the fullness of the Deity' --- God Himself, in all His fullness, walking around as a human.

We can accept that or reject that, but it isn't a statement subject to relative interpretation. It's not something that can be partly, sortakinda true. He's fully God...or not.

But it's a basic thing to be settled; a foundation of faith. For someone to claim to follow Christ and disagree with Colossians 2:9 doesn't make sense.

Just sayin'.

Paradigm shift

2011-10-25T22:46:00.000-05:00

Tuesdays are staff prayer days. Being a part time employee, I tended to come in after that hour that begins the work day, but The Actor, who is in the internship program at church, must be there to attend, so I've been profiting from the disciplinary nudge to not let Tuesday morning slip away. It's usually half an hour of personal prayer/reflection/quiet time, followed by about a half an hour of joint prayer with an exhortation from one of the pastors.

Now, there have been a number of things over the past month or so that has stirred up my unusual take on the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Bridesmaids ;one message/study after another has discussed it. So it has all been raked over and I've been pondering it and pondering it and I felt like I was on the edge of something profound, but I didn't really have the time to sit down and pursue it.

But I knew that when I got to the sanctuary for prayer I'd have some time to chase down the revelation that I was glimpsing around the corners.

And as I was heading down the hall, Bible and journal in hand, I suddenly thought of another parable on oil...one that I'd almost linked up in my listening to the Parable of the Bridesmaids before, but somehow just missed the connection. That would be the story of Elisha and the Widow's Oil , found in 2 Kings 4. I posted about that in one of my early Friday Flashback posts , and actually slightly referenced that post in the discussion of the Bridesmaid's parable, but I didn't really put them together until I sat down this morning and began to write.

In 2 Kings, the widow's oil (blessing/anointing) was miraculously multiplied to fill all the capacity she'd built up when no oil was flowing....the preparation she'd made when nothing was happening.

In Matthew 25, the foolish bridesmaids left their post so that their lack of preparation would not be obvious to everyone, and consequently missed the bridegroom's arrival and were shut out of the celebration.

I suddenly saw that true preparation happens when there's nothing going on; no indication that the preparation will be necessary or even beneficial. I also saw that the amount of preparation determines the blessing...and that lack of preparation will create the situation in which we must choose to admit our unpreparedness and suffer the accompanied humiliation OR try to cover up the error and make hasty preparations at the last minute that won't work.

So I asked God what constitutes my preparation...increasing my capacity and filling it full to be ready.

And the response I got was that I must learn to hear, recognize and act upon His voice.

Now, none of this was truly new revelation. I have pondered all of it at various times and ways, but not all in the same context. But, for whatever reason, something in me shifted.

More than anything, I want to be the person who hears and responds to the Spirit. All the time.

And that's not new, either, but I got a teeny glimpse of what it would be like to truly live that way. And it took my breath away...because I saw it. And maybe for the first time, I truly grasped that it is what God wants for me, too.

All year I have talked about sensing a deep transformation. If /when this works its way though, it will be transforming...

Faithful Friday Faves - Philippians

2011-10-21T09:38:00.001-05:00

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

How funny is it that I posted a verse from Philippians yesterday?? I totally spaced that Philippians was this week's FFF book.

Good thing Philippians is chock-full of noteworthy nuggets, eh?

I actually memorized Phil. 2: 1- 11 a number of years ago just because it's one of my most favorite (as opposed to simply favorite, you know) scriptures. What a challenge to us...to have the same attitude as Jesus.

But I'm picking a different verse this morning...and, once more, the closest Bible happens to be a New King James, so that's the version I'm using:

for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure - Phil 2:13

I *love* this verse! It was years and years ago that it first hit me and I went back and re-read it to see if it said what I thought.

It did and it does.

See, we, as fallen humans, don't necessarily WANT to do what is good and right and in line with God's plan. But this verse encourages me so much, because it says that as I work out my salvation (that's from the previous verse, which I probably should've included in the quote but didn't), God works in me so that my WANT TO changes. He changes my self-centered WANT TO so that I start to WANT TO do the things that please Him, and then He also works in my life to enable me to do those very things.

God does not throw down a list of Do's and Don'ts and then stand over us to see if we'll live up to that; He is constantly and consistently working in us so that we not only do His pleasure, but find it satisfying as well...because it becomes the very thing we wanted all along.

I Can

2011-10-20T10:05:00.003-05:00

I was folding laundry this morning, not thinking of anything in particular, when suddenly this thought popped into my head:

If you say you can't, you won't.

Wow, I thought, that's pretty profound.

So I posted it to Facebook and went back to folding laundry.

But it has been percolating in the back of my head, and now I'm wondering why that particular phrase came so clearly right at this moment.

Could it be that God is about to ask me to do something to which my first gut reaction is going to be a solid, 'I can't do that!'

When really, what I'll mean is, I don't WANT to do that.

Because it's too hard, it's too scary, it's not my gifting...whatever.

And maybe, just maybe, that little thought dropped into my head so that I could be ready with the Right Answer:

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil 4:13 NKJV)

Or maybe it was just a nice Thought for the Day.

We'll see.

Faithful Friday Faves - Ephesians

2011-10-14T11:24:00.001-05:00

I had a hard time making a selection this time! I read through Ephesians in my New King James, and saw several things that were worth discussing, but nothing that stood out exceptionally from the rest.

So I decided I'd go out of the box and read through Ephesians in the Message. Wow. Nothin' like the Message to make you see things just a little differently....but, still, I didn't find Today's Passage.

So I got my teaching Bible, the good ol' NIV. Maybe because I wasn't reading the whole book through at that moment, the first passage my eyes lit upon when I flipped to Ephesians gripped my spirit; this has been a recurring theme in my life this year and I still don't think I've made the proper adjustments:

Be very careful, then, how you live -- not as unwise, but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. -- Eph. 5:15 - 17

If no one else out there in bloggy-land needed that nudge, I did...

Faithful Friday Faves: Galatians

2011-10-07T09:00:00.000-05:00

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Ah, Galatians. The futility of human effort and the balm of grace. Several years ago, I did a small living-room women's Bible study. The first book we looked at was James, and when we decided to do another study, I chose Galatians. A balance, if you will, between doing and receiving.

There are a number of passages that are worth discussing, but the one I chose today is one that has been highlighted to me literally ever since I did that Galatians study so long ago. It *always* jumps off the page at me, regardless of what translation I'm reading.

I've got New King James in front of me this morning, and the verse is Galatians 5:16:

I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

Short and simple, but what a punch it packs.

There are two things that this verse always brings to consideration to me. The first is that the 'lust of the flesh' isn't always what you think.

The word 'lust' brings connotations of drunkenness, immorality, debauchery...but the truth is, it just means 'consuming desire.' We tend to forget that our 'flesh'...the selfish, sin-prone human nature...lusts for many things besides physical pleasure. Sometimes that lust takes the form of self-promotion (guilty), passing judgement on other folks (also guilty), repeating a juicy bit of gossip (um, yeah, that one too); getting fed up with perceived injustices and telling someone off (who, me?)... I can pretty much sum it up as just a choice to do what I choose to do instead of what I know God desires for me to do in a given situation.

The other thing that hits me is walking in the spirit WILL offend my flesh.

This verse doesn't tell us that walking in the Spirit will REMOVE the lust of the flesh, it promises that walking in the Spirit will NOT fulfill those cravings that the flesh experiences. In other words, there's going to be a continual battle between the two. And you'd better believe that my flesh screams like a tantrumming two year old when its desires are denied.

But I cling to the promise that as I seek to walk more and more in the Spirit, I will be more and more able to ignore those tantrums and tell my flesh to speak to the hand, 'cause I ain't listening...

Thinking the Unthinkable

2011-10-03T20:36:00.002-05:00

At the start of the year, I put everything on the table and told God He could remake me however I needed to be remade. I didn't want to keep anything that is not promoting the kingdom. I didn't want to get hung up on a good thing so much that I missed the great thing, the God thing.

It has taken me this long to get around to the issue of blogging.

I've been doing it for a while now; nearly 6 years on Sew Random and three and half or so here.

I'm a blog advocate. I think it's a great way to have conversations with folks who don't happen to be close by. It's a wonderful way to exchange ideas. For the sewing blog, it's a wonderful resource.

Blogs can also offer accountability. My over indulgence in fabric purchases this year is right out on my sidebar on the sewing blog for everyone to see. The weekly 'Friday Faves' series is keeping me progressing through the Bible...at a high altitude and with great speed, true, but progressing nonetheless.

But I am finding less and less time for blogging. With the sewing blog, I have a source for material...every time I make something or do anything related to garment construction, I have a blog post.

With the faith blog, it's different. It requires a much higher level of self-introspection and a much higher level of transparency and vulnerability. It also has a greater potential for offending other folks.

Tread deep but tread lightly...

And, I'll be honest. This is not to whine or complain, it's just the truth. I don't have a big readership. I'm not sure how many folks are subscribed and so don't show up on the bloglines counts, but judging by the comments left, there aren't many.

Or maybe I just don't write the kind of posts that inspire comments.

Whatever. I'm in a place now where I'm trying to evaluate my blogging...is it really something I need to keep doing? Or has it run its course? Do I need to focus on something else?

I'd miss blogging terribly if I quit. If no one else gets anything from my posting, sometimes I go back and re-read the old posts and get something that I needed. I'm not really feeling 'discouraged and ready to quit'...but I am wondering if the lack of feedback/participation/audience is just an indication that this isn't the time or place I'm supposed to be.

I'm not going to make a hasty decision on this, but the truth is, if I put everything on the table...well, everything means everything.

So, while I'm not making plans to quit...I am beginning to consider the possibility that it could be Time.

Faithful Friday Faves: 2 Corinthians

2011-09-30T12:07:00.002-05:00

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

There is so much in this little book; I've got it all marked up with notes scribbled all over the place. So you can imagine that I had a difficult time choosing just one passage.

But, as usual my current set of circumstances and personal battles colors my choice and after some deliberation I decided to go with some good instruction on spiritual warfare...and found myself getting educated in the process.

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. - 2 Cor. 10: 3 - 5

I think we have forgotten how to do spiritual warfare; in many cases Christians are encouraged to do battle with worldly powers in 'the only language they understand' ...usually economic. I am not going to argue against such tactics, because there are a number of organizations/businesses who spend their profits in ways I do not support and so choose to take my business elsewhere, but I do not believe such things are ultimately successful in making long term changes.

If we use the world's weapons we will only achieve such victories as the world provides. If we want true, Godly victories, then we must engage those weapons that are not those of the world.

And the first place to apply those weapons is to our own thinking. We cannot wield the weapons of God in battles until we have first used them on our personal battleground and learned to demolish the strongholds in our own lives.

Because once I've seen those personal strongholds fall, how can I doubt God can bring down the ones in the world around me?

I don't know about you, dear reader, but this is a new revelation of this passage to me and I'm going to be chewing on it for a while...

Reaching for Normal

2011-09-29T22:14:00.000-05:00

We are coming up on two weeks after the Wedding, and today was actually the very first day I got to spend at home. You can imagine the mountain of laundry that has been accumulating while I've been trying to catch up stuff away from the house...I worked extra last week, and then we had our Girl's Ministries Sponsor Retreat last weekend at a Presbyterian camp about an hour away. A bridal shower for another couple at church Sunday afternoon/evening and then bam! Back to work again.

So the laundry has been the focus of the day. And I've been mentally trying to write a blog post about the weekend. I'm not having great inspiration about how to share it; but, since sometimes the best thing to do is to just start writing, I'm gonna give it a go anyway.

I went to the retreat absolutely running on fumes. It was all I could do to get out the door. I wore my grungy track pants and t shirts and took no makeup or jewelry. On purpose. Because I wasn't even gonna try to be something I wasn't. What I WAS was dead tired. Not so much physically as spiritually and emotionally. I was almost to the point of fighting tears as I drove up the Parkway towards church Friday afternoon. It wasn't that I didn't want to go...I was just so tired. And I knew we were going to be doing some sharing and some creative fun stuff and and I didn't feel like I had anything to offer. It didn't even feel like the retreat was part of my world...I was dealing with so much stuff that it sort of felt peripheral.

I'm sure some of the 'stuff' was just the normal emotional bottoming out after any major life event, but somehow I seem to have put my foot in my mouth more than is typical for me (and unfortunately that seems to be very typical...) last week and I just felt out of sorts with, well, everyone, pretty much. My usual feelings of blundering about saying and doing the worst possible things at the worst possible moments. Feeling that the dreams of my heart were trivial to just about everyone else in my world.I really just wanted to crawl in a hole and stay there for a few days. But I knew I couldn't. And I knew I couldn't go to the retreat in wet blanket mode, either. I needed to shift gears.

At first it was just a teeth-gritting act of spirit over flesh. I WILL rejoice in the God of my salvation! I WILL...I WILL ... I WILL!But as the weekend progressed, it became less an enforced attitude and more of a going with the flow. Even feeling sort of numb in the core of my spirit, I found myself being happy on the surface. It was fun. I could connect on that level and not worry about the underneath.

But Saturday morning I had a bit of a revelation that I'm going to try and share.The camp that we went to had a 'Prayer Labyrinth.' I've heard of these, but I'd never seen one, so I was rather surprised to see the little sign for the labyrinth next to a lawn area as we pulled into the parking lot. There were some surprised/ puzzled comments from others in the van, but I remembered reading an article in the newspaper about them a few years ago that said the purpose wasn't necessarily a new-agey sort of spiritualism, but actually meant simply for contemplation. I thought I'd go take a look at it while we were there if I could, and then promptly forgot all about it.

After our morning devotions the next day, we were told to go off by ourselves for an hour or so with journals and Bibles. Most of the ladies headed out the back of the building towards the lake; I decided to go out the front door. I wasn't sure where I'd head, but once I got out the door I saw a park bench off in the lawn area to the side of the parking lot, so I headed that way. It wasn't until I got right to the edge of the lawn that I saw the sign again that said this was the way to the prayer labyrinth.I still didn't intend to walk through the labyrinth; that wasn't why I went over there. But after about a half hour or so with my journal, I thought I'd at least take a look at it. The grass was just tall enough that I couldn't really see the pavers that outlined the path. The entrance was very close to the bench, as it turned out, and rather spontaneously I went in.

I walked slowly, paying attention. What was the lesson I was supposed to learn? The path went almost straight to the center, but just before it got there it doubled back and began to twist and turn, slowly working its way to the outermost ring before turning back to the center again. The pavers were not highly visible, but I deliberately watched just in front of my feet, trying not to anticipate where the next turn would lead.Once I got to the middle, I looked around. I couldn't discern the way out. Once more, once I left the center, the path went very quickly to the most remote point and then wound its way back to almost the center before exiting.

I think it took me about half an hour to follow the path to the center and back out. And I saw that I didn't have to see where the path was going at every moment; I could trust that it would take me to the destination. Furthermore, I saw that what looked like something that went quickly to the destination didn't, and what seemed to be heading away from the goal was actually moving me toward it.Somehow, that touched that raw place in my spirit and brought peace. Nothing in my circumstances changed, but I had a very tangible reminder that I really *don't* know where I am; I have to trust God to direct my path...and that it doesn't matter how far away from the desires of my heart I seem to be, the next turn in that path may bring me right to them. It's a matter of trust.

Faithful Friday Faves: 1 Corinthians

2011-09-23T07:56:00.000-05:00

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Based on the events of the last week, involving a wedding and lots of thoughts of love and fidelity and romance, I'd pretty well decided on a selection from chapter 13 for today's post. But I skimmed through the book just the same and, while I'm sticking with my original passage, I just have to comment that the book of 1 Corinthians is amazingly applicable to today. I was really struck by the whole tone of the book and its rather strong words to believers who use the ungodly society around them as their model to determine their actions and attitudes. Wow.

Now, the Princess did not use this passage in her wedding; I had it printed on the programs in ours. And whenever the subject comes up in the teen girls' classes I teach at church, I point out that this contains an EXCELLENT description of what love is and how it behaves.

Ladies, I say, any time you have some smooth talking young man declaring his love for you, please line his actions up against this passage and see if he is telling you the truth.

If I had done that in my late teens I could've saved myself much anguish, not to mention wasted time, as the longest-running relationship of my high school/ early college days lacked at LEAST half of these characteristics. Ahem.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. - 1 Cor. 13: 4 - 8a

Thoughts on the Week

2011-09-15T00:10:00.003-05:00

AS this is the week of the Princess's Wedding, I suppose it's appropriate that I have Some Thoughts.

Whilst I am wrangling that 'simple' dress I'm hoping to wear for the ceremony...that should have been in the 'done' column but has turned into a major exercise of patience...I'm thinking and reflecting.

Maybe I should be paying more attention to my sewing. Perhaps then I wouldn't have to have removed one side of the zipper, untwist the dress at the shoulder, and then re-apply that side of the zipper. But who knows? I admit to being somewhat less than fully focused. I have other things occupying my thoughts, I fear.

She's 25 years old; that's definitely not too young; I should have had plenty of time to prepare for this day, right?

When my mother asked me about getting ready for her to move out, I commented that she really isn't home much now anyway; this just means she'll be sleeping and doing her laundry elsewhere. And hopefully my Chobani yogurt will quit disappearing from the fridge.

At least, that's what I'm telling myself.

Truth is, she's moved out 3 times before. Every fall for Master's Commission, she'd pack up and leave and tell me that she was going to stay in the apartment the next summer.

But I knew she didn't have the financial wherewithal to make that happen. So when she left, I knew she'd be back.

This time, she's not coming back.

It could be worse; their apartment is just on the other end of town. When I got married, I moved 400 miles away. I won't be leaving the light on for her at night now, but they're still gonna be around for probably at least one meal a week. I've never been geographically close to any family since I got married; I don't have a paradigm for it. I guess we'll just make it up as we go.

But I'm finding myself truly amazed at how quickly we have arrived at this point...for all that it's been more than 25 years since we first held her. I'm remembering so many parenting things I did wrong, and so few that I feel confident I did right. So many things we wanted to do as a family that just didn't happen. Part of me wants to holler 'Wait! I'm not done yet!'

Doesn't matter. She's done. And in a wee couple of days she'll have a new name and a new home and a new life. This is the goal of raising children...to see them flutter out of the nest to their place in the world. A lovely wedding ceremony -- be it big and fancy or small and intimate-- is both an invocation and a benediction.

So as the final preparations are upon us, Lord, let me do what's crucial and not sweat what isn't.

And please, please help me hold it together and not be a big snotty mess on Saturday.

Amen.

She Rev - Glory

2011-09-08T23:04:00.000-05:00

Tonight was the leadership session for this year's women's conference, which starts tomorrow morning (side note: since the next two weekends are busy busy busy, I will be taking a two-week break from the Faithful Friday posts...I'll be back w/ 1 Corinthians on the 23rd).

It might sound weird to have a session for the leadership, but when leadership teams from all the various ministries at all four campuses got together, we had ~~150 - 200~~ (ok, I'm horrible at estimating; it probably wasn't even close to 150. Let's just say a whole bunch of) ladies.

And I know I, for one, needed some knocking into shape before I put on the 'Leader' badge in the morning to do ministry.

I've been somewhat distracted coming up on this conference; usually I'm all anticipation and preparation. Three years ago I even blogged a Bible study as preparation.

But...this year...I'm still having some health issues that are taking more of my focus than I'd like, the home repairs are waiting insurance feedback, and we do have a wedding in, um, 9 days, for which I am woefully unready.

So, like I said, I've been distracted.

But tonight we heard from Dr. Mary Ann Brown, and, wow.

Where is your altar? She asked us. The place of sacrifice and communion with God...does it need to be rebuilt?

In a word...yes...

If tonight was any indication of what is to come, I believe the next couple of days are going to be intense.

Friday Faithful Faves: Romans

2011-09-02T10:31:00.004-05:00

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Sigh. I think I could do a 'Friday Faithful Faves' on every chapter in Romans. Picking one from the whole book...wow...

I remember doing Romans in Bible Study Fellowship a number of years ago; I was really looking forward to the study, but it was tough. I felt like I'd been pushed through a Play Doh Fun Factory by the time it was over. Romans is a deep and challenging word.

But, it just so happens that, if I had to pick ONE verse from the whole Bible, my favorite 'verse to live by' is in Romans:

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is -- his good, pleasing and perfect will. -- Rom. 12:2

What a challenge...and what a promise.

One of the biggest questions of every believer is 'What is God's will?' when making decisions.

The secret to finding God's will is in that verse: Don't conform to the standards of the society around you, but let the spirit transform your mind (and I would run over to Philippians chapter 2 for a discussion of what our mind is to be transformed into, but that's outside the scope of today's discussion...).

The problem is that we tend to want to maintain our conformity with our society. We don't want to stick out, be conspicuous, look uneducated or narrow minded.

Romans 12:2 pretty well tells us that we can't make that work if we really want to know God's will. He WILL make us stick out, be conspicuous, have opinions that are scoffed at by others.

But, if we let Him transform us, guess what? All the opinions of others won't matter...because we'll be able to see what HE wills for us.

A good verse to keep in mind...

September! AAAiiiieee!

2011-09-01T16:49:00.002-05:00

Sara at The Cleft of the Rock has set herself a challenge to blog every day in September. At first, I thought, 'What a great idea! A post a day for a month! It would get me back into the pattern of Paying Attention!'

And then I remembered....this is September. The Princess's wedding is the 17th.My house is a mess; her veil isn't started yet, and I haven't even pulled the pattern for my dress out of the package.Just when do I think I'm going to have time to write a post in any given day???Maybe I'll shoot for a post a day in October...

Oh, BTW, has anyone else switched to Blogger's new interface?? Took me forever to realize I had to click on the little pencil icon to write a new post....sad...

Helping with the Research

2011-08-29T17:27:00.004-05:00

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Lysa TerKeurst has asked for input for her upcoming book. Technically, these questions were supposed to be answered in her comments, but, well, I didn't want to fill up a whole comments page by myself...

How would you define unglued?

I'm going to define it this way:Unglued-- losing the restraints that keep one's behavior reasonable and acceptable to oneself and/or one's peers

What does coming unglued look like for you?
For me, there are degrees of 'unglued'...sometimes it's a full-fledged raging temper tantrum (usually involving repeated irresponsibility or disobedience on the part of one or more of my children), but more commonly it's a word unfitly spoken, devoid of grace or empathy when I feel I've been judged, unappreciated or marginalized.

What factors contribute to you feeling unglued?
Fatigue, being taken by (unpleasant) surprise, being pressed for time or pressured into agreeing to something I do not feel I've had time to process and think through. Frustration at not being heard. Particularly if several of those conditions occur at the same time.

Do you tend to explode or stuff? I rarely explode anymore; I am learning better ways of handling the bad stuff. But when I do explode, it's a doozy that leaves me feeling like a humiliated failure. Mostly, now, I stuff. Stuffing is not necessarily bad if it can be worked through at a later time, but if it isn't dealt with it will become fodder for the explosion.

What would you want to make sure I cover in a book like this? How to repair the damage after the glue has failed...I have a hard time getting back to comfortable around folks to whom I have exposed my less admirable traits.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?
There is some small comfort in knowing that we all mess up from time to time, but it doesn't really help alleviate the humiliation of having to own my character flaws in front of other people. Thank God for those mercies that are new every morning...

Friday Faithful Faves: Acts

2011-08-26T21:22:00.003-05:00

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

I *love* the book of Acts. So much good stuff to choose from...but I landed on this little narrative and it made me smile. So this is what I've selected:

Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer the door. When she recognized Peter's voice, she was so overjoyed that she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, 'Peter is at the door!'

'You're out of your mind,' they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, 'It must be his angel.'

But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. -- Acts 12:13 - 17a

There is so much in this whole story...which sadly begins with the beheading of John's brother, James...but I'm going to focus on this bit of it, because it always struck me funny that the believers did not believe Rhoda when she came and told them that the answer to their prayers was standing on the front porch. Nobody even went to see, until they heard his continued knocking.

I've talked before about the Hebrew scholars who wouldn't check out the Magi's story at the birth of Christ, because he didn't come as they expected, but, see, in this instance faithful, praying followers of Christ wouldn't even walk to the door to see if Rhoda was right.

Why? Because they expected the answer to come in a different way

The folks gathered at John Mark's mother's house knew Peter was chained to guards and locked in prison; I really think the focus of their prayers was for God to move miraculously on the trial the next day.

But how much cooler was God's answer to their prayers for Peter??

I need to learn not to limit God with my preconceived expectations.

Still Congested

2011-08-21T19:57:00.002-05:00

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Third service today ended at about 1:00, and we had a baptismal service afterward.

7 hours later, my semi-closed sinuses and puffy eyes are reminders of how moving that service was.

Philip Cameron and a boatload of older teens rescued from the streets of Moldova made their annual appearance at church today; they come over during the summer and visit all the churches that support the work over there.

But we were privileged to see eleven of the young people baptized after 3rd service.

Now, in the U.S., it's usually not such a big deal. Oh, folks are happy enough, but for these kids it's different.

It's making a huge statement. Families disown kids who receive baptism. So each of these kids were very aware that they were breaking traditions; they were all somber and deliberate.

Out Pastor always gives baptismal candidates the opportunity to share anything before they're baptized. Most folks smile and shake their heads; a few make a short statement into the microphone. But each one of these kids took the microphone and declared their thanks to the Camerons, for bringing them the opportunity to hear about Jesus, and then they declared their love for Christ and their intention to follow him with all their heart.

Totally spontaneous. Unbelievably moving. Humbling beyond words.

I'm going to be reflecting over this for a long, long time.

Here's a bit of their story, a video shown today in church:

Faithful Friday Faves: John

2011-08-19T13:17:00.002-05:00

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

John. Today's book is John.

Picking one passage from John is like walking into Willie Wonka's Chocolate Factory and choosing ONE delectable to sample.

So, I'm going to go with the one thing that dropped into my spirit the moment I realized John was up this week:

Simon Peter asked him, "Lord, where are you going?"

Jesus replied, "Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later."

Peter asked, "Lord, why can't I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you."

Then Jesus answered, "Will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows you will disown me three times!

Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be where I am." - John 13:36 - 14:3

The last time I did a deep study of the book of John, the context of that passage really struck me. Often we split the story at the end of chapter 13 -- when Jesus declares that Peter will deny him -- and pick up the next time with the lovely promises of chapter 14 and never realize that they go together. Those chapter-and-verse breaks make the Bible easy to reference and study, but it does disrupt continuity at times. We forget that.

Jesus just told Peter that he was about to fail the biggest test of his faith to date, and then says, in effect, 'Don't worry about it'.

It's all part of the same speech. Jesus didn't hesitate or change the subject. He dropped his bombshell, offered comfort, and then answered the original question.

In some odd way, I find this passage comforting. Peter failed...but he repented. None of the promises Jesus gave him were invalidated because of his failure.

I've failed, many times. I stagger under the weight of my failure. I'm quite sure that there are people who discredit anything I would say/do for the cause of Christ because of my past failure. And, to be honest, I would sacrifice much for the opportunity to go back and un-fail any one of those moments. But I can't.

But I can repent; renounce my stupidity and my self-centeredness and my pride and learn to recognize similar situations so I will not fail in that way again.

And I can cling to Jesus words "Do not let your heart be troubled."

Faithful Friday Faves: Luke

2011-08-12T10:37:00.005-05:00

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

I hesitated over two or three passages...and a couple of recurring themes...as I skimmed through Luke, but the one that got my attention was a familiar story with a note I wrote beside it. I can't remember if I made the observation or if I were listening to someone who made the observation, but it started some wheels turning so it's today's pick:

"You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.'"

"All these I have kept since I was a boy," he said.

When Jesus heard this, he said to him , "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth. - Lk 18: 20 - 23

The note in my margin is next to verse 20 and it points out that the commandments Jesus listed were the ones that had to do with how people interact with one another. Of the rest, one is about attitude ('Do not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor') and the other four are about our relationship to God ('Do not worship anything in the place of God, do not make idols for yourselves, do not misuse the name of the Lord and keep the Sabbath holy')

Remember, Jesus has said that the two great commandments are 'Love God' and 'Love your neighbor'. He put the question to the rich fellow about loving his neighbor...and the ruler was quite happy to respond that he'd been doing that his whole life.

But, when Jesus pointed out that he missed the first commandment - Love God with everything you've got - the guy was hit with grief.

Because when it came down to it...he couldn't part with his possessions to give God first place.

And I don't think he realized it until that precise moment.

We all have those pivotal moments when God speaks to us...could be in any number of ways...and we see in a flash that we had no idea what was really going on.

And, at that moment, we have a choice: Continue with the status quo, and go no further with Christ, or give up the thing that is distracting/consuming us and follow Him.

I've had mini-moments like that...and sometimes I've chosen rightly, and sometimes I have not.

The grief of missing the opportunity has ALWAYS been greater than the grief of giving up the distraction. You'd think I'd learn.

Fortunately, His mercies are new every morning. Someday, I will have learned...

Faithful Friday Faves - Mark

2011-08-05T12:26:00.003-05:00

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

I told you I'm stuck in a time warp; I just realized that today is Friday...time to look through Mark...

Maybe it's a symptom of my current state, but two verses jumped out at me and, since they are somewhat related, I'm going to use both of them.

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. - Mk 1:35

Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest." - Mk 6:31

A number of years ago, the big thing in youth ministry was WWJD, which stood for 'What Would Jesus Do?'

There were WWJD bracelets, mugs, notebooks, Bibles...you name it. All aimed at getting kids to stop and ask themselves 'What would Jesus do?' when faced with a decision.

But there is a subtle deception in that question, which is this:

It assumes that we can figure out, using human reasoning, what course of action Jesus would take in a similar situation and then do that.

The problem is...Jesus often defied human reasoning in his actions. He did not do what made sense. So how can we, using our reasoning abilities, figure out what Jesus would do?

See, if you study the Gospels, you'll see that Jesus didn't figure out what he was gonna do in any situation, either. He just did what he saw his Father doing.

And the way he could tell that was he cultivated such a close relationship with the Father that he knew what the Father was doing.

He went off by himself and prayed. Often. Sometimes all night.

I submit to you that we can't really do what Jesus would do in a particular situation unless we have first done what Jesus did on a regular basis: spend quality time building our relationship with the Father and the Spirit.

Which is why the second verse speaks so loudly to me today.

Notice...it's in the middle of the business that Jesus told the disciples to come away with him. Not when things settled down, not when the business was finished, but right there, while the people were still coming and going.

Anybody wanna say 'Ouch!' with me? I have a really, really hard time stopping in the middle of the busy and going away with him.

And it's been worse this summer. But I do hear that voice...Come with me by yourself to a quiet place and get some rest...

Caught in a Time Warp

2011-08-04T21:18:00.003-05:00

Whilst reading through the posts on my facebook wall, I chanced across a post that mentioned a major league baseball team being eliminated from post-season play.

"Whoa," I thought, "How can anyone be eliminated so early?"

I took a second trying to place myself on the calendar...feeling rather early-Juneish.

I had a dizzy moment when I realized it is August and school starts Monday.

I.Can.NOT.Believe.It.

There have been summers that zipped by in the past, but nothing like this summer. How can time move so fast all of a sudden??

I recently saw a news story which stated that a group of scientists had absolutely proven time travel/ travel faster than the speed of light is impossible. After seeing this summer evaporate in a twinkle, I'm wondering if they didn't miss something in their computations...

Magnify the Lord!

2011-07-31T19:20:00.019-05:00

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Sometimes the oddest little remark starts a chain reaction...

This morning, my pastor said something about magnifying the Lord. He was talking about whether we would consider God to be larger than our problems/issues or consider our problems/issues to be larger than God, but the word 'magnify' started a little thought process that ended up with the Hubble Telescope.

So of course I thought it would be good blog material.

The first thing I did was come home and look up 'magnify' in my NIV Exhaustive concordance.

And was surprised to find only one listing:

The king will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will say unheard-of things against the God of gods. He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed, for what has been determined must take place. - Dan. 11:36

Wow...we could spend some time on that, but it's another topic for another day. I wanted to know where the phrase 'magnify the LORD' came from; I've heard it over and over for years and years, but I hadn't ever traced it to its source.

Next stop: King James. Or, rather, New King James. I followed my hunches and, sure enough, in Luke 1:46 I found My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior leading off Mary's song of praise.

So I pulled out the Zhodiates Word Study and looked it up, and found that magnifies is translated from megaluno: from megas to make (or declare) great, i.e., increase or (fig.) extol:-- enlarge, magnify, shew great

Megaluno is also found in:
Matt. 23:5 - "But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments."

Luke 1:58 - When her neighbors and relatives heard how the Lord had shown great mercy to her, they rejoiced with her.

Acts 5:13 - Yet none of the rest dared join them, but the people esteemed them highly

Acts 10:46 - For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God

Acts 19:17 - This became known both to all Jews and Greeks dwelling in Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.

2 Cor. 10:15 - not boasting of things beyond measure, that is, in other men's labors, but having hope, that as your faith is increased we shall be greatly enlarged by you in our sphere

and Phil. 1:20 - According to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.

I want to say there is a reference to magnifying the Lord in Psalms...but it's obviously not in the NIV, and my KJV exhaustive concordance is in a box in the attic somewhere. A VERY quick skim through Psalms didn't yield a 'magnify' reference, so I'm going to say that the basic reference to 'magnify the Lord' must be from Mary's Song (AKA 'The Magnificat').

But, be that as it may, it's not the origin of the phrase I'm looking for...it's the application.

Our common connotation to 'magnify' is 'to enlarge, to make something small appear big' (that's just my quickie definition). That is, we generally think of something small that we need to enlarge to see clearly.

But I submit to you that something small is not the only thing we magnify in today's world.

We also magnify things that are astronomically huge...because we are too far away to see them properly.

Instead of making something bigger, magnification, in this sense, means to see something as it really is.

Here is where I was going to insert some photos from the Hubble Telescope, but, wow, so many spectacular pictures! I'll post one, just to have a thumbnail for the Facebook link...but you gotta go look at them - Hubble Telescope. Take as long as you want, and when your awe-meter is redlining, come back.

Source: Hubblesite.org

See, those objects...be they stars, galaxies, nebulae, whatever...are out there. Their size staggers the imagination. But we couldn't see them.

Until...we put a camera up above the atmosphere of earth and focused it on those objects and magnified them.

In the same way, when we magnify God, we are not enlarging Him beyond what He is. He is vast beyond imagining. But, when we get away from the world's atmosphere and focus on Him, He is magnified. Then we can begin to comprehend just the smallest amount of who He really is.

He is, truly, Awesome. When He is magnified, that shows more and more...

Friday Faithful Faves - Matthew

2011-07-29T09:04:00.003-05:00

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

As we head into the New Testament, I'm once again more than just a little intimidated by my plan. Pick ONE passage from each book??

So I'm reminding myself of the criteria...I'm not looking for the most profound or key verse from each book, just the passage that speaks to me on the given day.

So when I flipped my Bible open to Matthew, the first verse my eyes landed on suddenly grabbed my attention. I nearly just went with that, but I decided maybe I was being hasty and so I skimmed through to see if anything else jumped off the page at me.

I wavered a moment over the parable of the 10 Virgins, but checked and found that I've already blogged about that. So I'm going with the passage that beckoned to me at the outset:

"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished." -- Matt 5:17-18

Jesus came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets.

We often focus on a part of the reason Jesus came - to give his life for many, that we might have abundant life - but that really is just one aspect of why Jesus came, one part of the Law that required fulfilling.

He fulfilled it all.

Christianity is unique in this concept: mankind is unable to fulfill the requirements of Heaven, so God came to earth and fulfilled them for us.

Reminding myself...

2011-07-26T09:05:00.003-05:00

This is a Facebook note I wrote in January, 2009:
This Was God's Idea
Wednesday, January 7, 2009 at 10:43am

I have to remind myself of that.

It's just the sort of thing He would do...put us in a house with a staggering, budget stretching mortgage and then tell us to fix it up.

When we bought the house back in 2005, the home inspector gave us a green light on it; in fact, he seemed impressed with it. There were only a few things that he recommended the seller fix for us.

We since have learned that its beauty is only skin deep. And the fixes, when they happened, either didn't fix the problem or were done improperly and created new problems. Everything...and I mean everything...in this house appears to have been done as cheaply as possible to look good. It was all about appearances.

It looks pretty good from the curb; it's in a nice neighborhood. This house shouldn't be like this.

But God was obviously in charge of us getting into this house. Never once did I pray asking Him to make it work. My prayer was that, if we were not *supposed* to be here, the deal would fall through somehow. I didn't want to live in a house that wasn't in His plan. Especially one that came with such a big debt load.

But, unlike all the others we were interested in before this one, it didn't fall through, even though there were opportunities for it to fall through. So I have to conclude that God put us here. I considered the mortgage to be the giant in the promised land and reminded myself of that over and over when the worries hit me late at night.

Now there are repairs needed that cannot be postponed. And that budget-breaking mortgage does not leave us resources for them. So, I confess, I was rather put out with My Heavenly Father. It didn't make sense.

And do you know what He did? He pointed me to Hosea and reminded me that it didn't make sense for a man of God to marry a prostitute, either.

Could it be possible that there is some sort of illustration here?

The people we purchased the house from were not Christians; they practiced a pagan religion. Somehow, I began to see the message how pagan philosophy is all about appearances...nothing good and solid on which to build something. Our task is to restore structural integrity to a house that has only a nice appearance. Yes, a powerful illustration.

Also an expensive one. But if this is what God wants us to do, He's got the resources for it. My prayer now is that we'll be strategic in finding and using those resources.

It was, after all, His idea.

We just had a contractor in yesterday to look at FURTHER repairs needed from, basically, the same issue...cheap materials and construction processes. And, once again, we've found that the repairs should've been made LONG ago, and, since they weren't, there is much more extensive work required to a)fix the bad stuff and b) stop further problems.

So I searched back through my FB notes to find that post and remind myself what we're doing and why. This is His idea. His illustration.

And, oh, we have a Wedding happening in less than 8 weeks. Hopefully Phase 1...the essential structural repairs...will be done by then.

I am not going to panic. I am choosing to Trust.

My part, at the moment, is to clear all my sewing stuff from the area by the end of the week. And find SOMEWHERE to put it...

The 'Quarterly Break'

2011-07-18T07:49:00.003-05:00

In January, the annual first-of-the year fast at church always includes the Internet, so January's break was included there-in.

In April, we lost power for 5 days; I counted that as April's Break. Not exactly up to snuff, since by rights I should've taken the break the week before the storms hit. It snuck up on me.

But July's break is scheduled to start today...and I think I'll pay attention and take it.

Not that anyone would notice much here, since I am pretty much doing good to get just the Friday Faithful Faves post up right now.

But, this week is the yearly Girl's Ministries retreat, so I'll be gone half the week anyway. I'll be back next week and I'll be starting the New Testament w/the FFF when I get back online.

Where has the summer GONE???

Faithful Friday Faves: Malachi

2011-07-15T21:28:00.002-05:00

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

We've had some internet issues this week; our connectivity has been rather intermittent. So I haven't been able to post on things like (gulp) my second post-50 birthday, which was way harder to face than the 5-0 itself.

Maybe that explains why, out of all the instructions and exhortations in Malachi, the verse that stands out to me today is 4:2

But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall.

That sounds pretty good to this creaky 'vintage' late baby boomer...

Faithful Friday Faves - Zechariah

2011-07-08T11:04:00.004-05:00

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Back in the day, when I taught youth Sunday School and our curriculum was a six-year tour through the Bible, I found Zechariah to be one of the most difficult books to teach. There are true gems in there, but to comprehensively cover all the visions in such a way as to make sense to teenagers was a real challenge.

The passage that jumped out at me today is something of a challenge...to everyone:

This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Administer justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each other.' - Zech.7: 9 -10

Study on that awhile. Each aspect of it. There's an incredible amount of instruction in that little bit of Scripture; not the least to monitor our thoughts.

Do not think evil of each other.... that really is pretty profound. That means that I'm not to think the guy who cut me off in traffic with horn blaring as if it were MY fault is a jerk; I'm not to look at folks on the other side of the political spectrum as folks acting under deliberate wicked intentions (Misguided, ill-advised, illogical, maybe ;-) );basically, I'm not to assume the worst about any other individual for whatever reason.

That's hard. Really hard. 'Cause, you know, I probably would never plan to tell someone else my bad opinion of a third party...but I sure would think it every time that third party ticked me off. And then I'd be surprised when it actually came out of my mouth someday...possibly to the wrong person, who could not be trusted to keep said bad opinion to him/herself and so the yuck grows.

But...mercy and compassion will keep that judgmental stuff from getting rooted in my spirit...and if it's not in my spirit, it won't come out of my mouth when I accidentally, momentarily drop the guard.

Faithful Friday Faves - Haggai

2011-07-01T10:20:00.002-05:00

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

The return of the exiles to Jerusalem had begun; building programs were shaping up. But they had become discouraged in their efforts to rebuild the Temple and had come to a halt because of pressure from the surrounding nations and ultimately by a decree from Artaxerxes.

But with a change of administration in Babylon came a shift in political leanings and the time was ripe for the construction to resume. However, the people were now not eager to undertake the construction...perhaps they remembered how they had been rebuked before, or perhaps they were just so caught up in their day-to-day responsibilities that they just didn't want to pursue it. Or maybe a bit of both.

But God knew, better than the Jews, how important the temple was to both them and to His plan. It was time to take up the tools and focus on God's house.

"You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?" declares the LORD Almighty. "Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house." - Hag. 1:9

This is a question of priority.

And, you know, sometimes priorities are good things to check. They tend to creep off center if they're not inspected. God was calling on the Jews to look at their unfavorable circumstances and consider their priorities.

Which, by the way, they did...and they began the building process again, which was actually approved and encouraged by the government (see the post on Ezra) and blessed by God.

Checking (and, if need be, adjusting) priorities is always a good thing.

In the Waiting Room

2011-06-28T19:36:00.004-05:00

I have a little dream...

And the little dream has a little sister.

I kind of packed them both away for long naps. I'd wake them up and play with them just a bit every now and then, but, as the time was so not right, I would tuck them back in and sing them to sleep for another season or two.

But now things are moving and there might be a chance for little sister to come out and meet the world. And, if little sister does...maybe someday the dream itself will follow.

But I really don't have much to do with whether or not it's time.

So I wake them up, dress them in their pretty Sunday ruffles and patent shoes, and wait patiently for a chance to introduce them to someone who will either be glad to see them or be completely not interested in what they might be able to do.

I have knocked gently on the door...I don't want to cause a problem or intrude...but now I'm wondering if my knocking is ignored or just unheard. If it's unheard -- I should knock louder. If it's being ignored, louder knocking would not be a good thing. Perhaps it's just not a good time to knock on the door.

If the dreams are sent packing at this stage, there's not much chance they'll get to come out again.

But...if they are real, God-given dreams, there should be a time and a place for them to come out and grow. If they are not real, God-given dreams, I am beyond disillusioned; where did they come from and why have I invested so much of my heart in them?

This is not just a test of the dreams, it is a test of my character.

It would've been easier if the time had just stayed obviously wrong; I could still hope. But when it looks to be sort of right...it comes to the moment of truth.

And I fear the verdict. But I wouldn't want these dreams to flourish if that is not His plan. If these are the wrong dreams...I need to find the right ones.

After I tuck these back into their boxes and say the funeral prayers.

But, you know, the prayer of my heart isn't that favor comes to my dreams...it's that, whatever happens to them, I honor Him in word and deed. Because I've messed this part up so bad before; I don't want to mess it up here again.

Who knows...maybe the whole point was to teach me the proper way to crucify my flesh and submit to authority. With the proper attitude.

If we substitute burial shrouds for the ribbons and ruffles, that's what I'll tell myself.

I keep reminding myself that it is not a people decision, it is a God decision. If this is the time, the favor will come from Him. If it is not the time, it is not the fault of anybody. It is simply not time.

But. Until I have a direction, we will wait to see if anyone else thinks it's time for the light to shine on a little dream's little sister...

Faithful Friday Faves - Zephaniah

2011-06-24T11:40:00.003-05:00

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

When Old Testament prophets are mentioned, just kind of general, in a group, the collective image is, I'm afraid, of someone proclaiming doom and gloom and judgment. I don't think that's actually true of OT prophets as a group, but that is the stereotype.

However, it is somewhat true of Zephaniah.

And Yet.

Look at the declaration in 3:9:
Then will I purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the LORD and serve him shoulder to shoulder.

Did you catch that? "Peoples?" As in, more than one people? Maybe, even what it says a few words later, 'all of them'?

I don't think this is talking about universal salvation; put it context and it's rather obvious that this is talking about everyone who's left after the judgment. But it does seem to indicate that there will be folks from ALL people groups who call on God's name and work for him shoulder-to-shoulder.

Personally, I think that's gonna be pretty neat.

Prickles on the neck

2011-06-21T23:30:00.002-05:00

One of the ladies at work sent this little quote out via email to a number of her friends, me included. (I think this is the first time she's sent me anything other than work-related stuff...)

Kinda gave me goosebumps; it fits with the 'change is coming' feeling, although I don't think the changes are to my circumstances so much as they are to me, myself:

SMALL STRAWS IN A SOFT WIND by Marsha Burns -- 6/21/11:

Many of you, My people, are approaching a turning point in which there will be a decided departure from what has been your accepted normal. When you are faced with change, I will give you the grace and guidance to move forward in strength and the power of My Spirit if you will trust Me. At this time you must be willing to let go of what was in order to grasp what is to be, says the Lord. Press on to obtain the prize of the upward call in Christ Jesus.

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

I'm gonna claim it as a promise; I certainly don't have strength in myself to give up comfortable, but I'll gladly take grace and guidance to move out of it.

Faithful Friday Faves: Habakkuk

2011-06-17T19:36:00.002-05:00

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

I love the book of Habakkuk. Can't spell it without looking to save my life, but, for anyone who feels discouraged or forgotten or doubtful, Habakkuk is THE BOOK TO READ.

So. Go read it. It's only three chapters. It'll encourage your spirit.

Today's pick...and there were several I wanted to choose...is the climax of the song that is chapter 3:

Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines,
Though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food,
Though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls,
Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.
The Sovereign God is my strength;
He makes my feel like the feet of a deer,
He enables me to go on the heights.
-Hab. 3:17-19a

Faithful Friday Faves: Nahum

2011-06-10T09:27:00.004-05:00

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi.

The repentance of Nineveh that happened as a result of Jonah's reluctant evangelism eventually was forgotten, and about a hundred years later the judgment that Jonah proclaimed was echoed by Nahum. However, this time there was no repentance that stayed God's hand. I have a hand-written note in the margin of my Bible that states that the archaeologists did not find the remains of the city until 1842. Nineveh, as was prophesied, was utterly destroyed.

But the verse I have chosen to look at today is Nahum 1:2:

The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him

Over and over and over, Scripture tells us there will be trouble. BUT...and that's a big word right there...God will take care of those who trust Him.

I'm not comfortable with that...

2011-06-06T23:36:00.003-05:00

2011 is almost half way through. Can you believe it?

It has been an astonishing year...and that's just the weather.

The changes I felt coming back when the year started still have not fully manifested; I still am not sure what, exactly is going to change. But I told a friend at church last night that I refuse to hit December 31 and still be the same as I was on Jan. 1.

I don't yet know where I'm going, but I'll tell you what God's been doing.

He's been pointing out individuals to me who have had great doors opened to them, and he has shown me that those folks sacrificed much in order to devote themselves to the pursuit of God and the call of their heart's passion.

I'm beginning to wonder just how willing I really am to make similar sacrifices.

I'm finding out that I am quite the creature of comfort. I like the familiar, well-worn patterns...even if they're not terribly productive or influential. They are comfortable.

But it's becoming more and more apparent that, where ever I'm going, I'm going to have to give up comfortable.

And do you know what? My 'self' is Not Liking This One Bit.

Which is beginning to make me wonder if the one of the greatest enemies we have to overcome is Comfort. Physical comfort, emotional comfort, spiritual comfort...none of it is truly compatible w/taking up the cross and dying daily.

If I'm honest, the more I'm looking at this, the more I'm convinced that Comfort has very nearly been an idol in my life. And it's time to tear down that altar and make uncomfortable choices. How could I choose to stay where I'm comfortable and not draw closer to Him? Never *see* if I could walk in His presence as those who He has pointed out to me do?

Oh, no, I'm not comfortable with that at all.

Faithful Friday Faves: Micah

2011-06-03T22:36:00.004-05:00

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

I was gonna go with one of the well-known selections from Micah today, but, as I read it through, what caught my eye really speaks to the 'I know I've screwed it up' feeling I've been living with of late:

Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light. Because I have sinned against him, I will bear the LORD's wrath, until he pleads my case and establishes my right. He will bring me out into the light; I will see his righteousness - Mic. 7:8 - 9

No, I'm not talking about gross, horrible sin. I'm talking about a daily selfishness...a lack of discipline...an unfocused spirit...that is keeping me from my Bible and my journal and my quiet seeking time. I am frustrated with it even while I seem to not be disturbed enough to do something about it.

Which frustrates me more.

And yet...I know this is a season. I'm not sure what it is a season of, but it is a season. If I can't discipline myself, God is faithful and He will discipline me.

True discipline may be painful, but it is a growth process and I am determined not to flinch from it.

I *will* see his righteousness!

Faithful Friday Faves: Jonah

2011-05-27T11:35:00.004-05:00

Posted by Lisa Laree at Beer Lahai Roi

I smiled when I realized that this week's book is Jonah.

Who among us doesn't love a story in which the pouty, self-righteous, holier-than-thou gets a just comeuppance?

But how unusual is it that that person is actually God's man of the hour? The 'good guy', so to speak, of the story?

What a treasure the book of Jonah is! Jonah's shortcomings and rebellion did not keep God's purpose from being fulfilled:

When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion upon them and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened. - Jon. 3:10

The people of Nineveh were saved for another generation...and Jonah himself got a personal revelation about how much God values even those who don't know Him.

If God can use Jonah in all of his mess, surely He can use me in the midst of mine.

Faithful Friday Faves: Obadiah

2011-05-20T19:12:00.004-05:00

I remember reading Obadiah just after the Iranian hostage crisis and finding myself shocked at the similarities between the description of Edom and the traditions/conditions of the United States...and therefore deeply concerned about the future of our country.

Now, it seems ironic that I am re-reading Obadiah again this week.

Because of the violence against your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame; you will be destroyed forever. On the day you stood aloof while strangers carried off his wealth and foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were like them. - Obadiah v. 10 - 11

Not making any political statements here...just praying.

Faithful Friday Faves: Amos

2011-05-13T12:03:00.004-05:00

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

The little book of Amos is, to put it mildly, a strong word. First to the nations around Israel and Judah...then to Israel and Judah also. I'm not going into the word that Amos spoke, though, because what caught my eye as I read through this is Amos' defense of his message to Amaziah, the priest of Bethel:

"I was neither a prophet nor a prophet's son, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore-fig trees. But the LORD took me from tending the flock and said to me, 'Go, prophesy to my people Israel.'" - Amos 7:14-15

There are two pretty amazing things about this verse...first, Amos was, theologically speaking, a nobody. He had no credentials and no credibility, but God called him and sent him out with a message.

The other amazing thing is that Amos went. He left what he knew, where he was comfortable, the normal and the usual, and went to do something totally unfamiliar and prone to ridicule and offense.

Talk about a transition.

How clear was the word of God to Amos before he walked away from the sheep? Did he have angels and trumpets? Did his visions come then or later? Or did he just have that gnawing in his spirit that he could not silence so he HAD to go and speak? Amos doesn't say...but whatever it was, Amos was convinced that it was God. So he went.

Or...maybe Amos wasn't absolutely convinced. Maybe, just maybe, he figured the only way to know if God was really speaking would be to walk it out and see. 'Cause if it wasn't God, he sure wouldn't get very far. But he went anyway.

And his message reached the king.

So...this makes me uncomfortable. Because, if I'm absolutely honest, I LIKE my comfort zone. I DON'T like causing problems and offending folks.

But it is apparent through reading the Scripture that folks who meekly avoided offending people and just hung out where they were comfortable didn't do anything great for God. In fact, they often were the very folks the prophecies decried.

So I'm wondering how Amos' example is going to affect ordinary, unqualified me. Will I let it challenge me to dare to believe that little voice is really God? How will I walk that out if I do?

Friday Faithful Faves: Joel

2011-05-06T08:46:00.004-05:00

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

It is an interesting thing to read Laura Ingall's Wilder's On the Banks of Plum Creek, with her eyewitness accounts of the grasshopper plague, and then read the book of Joel and the insect plagues described there.

Even the stench is common to both accounts.

But today, I'm going with the obvious pick from Joel, not because it is the obvious, but because it speaks of what happens when the people return to God after the disaster, which is the encouragement I'm needing at the moment (this is from New King James, because that happened to be sitting on the computer desk):

And it shall come to pass afterward
That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters will prophesy,
Your old men shall dream dreams,
Your young men shall see visions.
And so on My menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days.
-Joel 2:28-29

One of the most amazing things to come out of this (the devastating tornadoes of April 27) has been the unity of folks working together to help clean up. The denominational tags have been dropped. It may well be that this is the start of a different day among those of us who follow Christ.

And once we finally get past the difference in styles of worship, or particulars of doctrine, and find true unity in Christ, we are aligned for such an outpouring.

Long Way from Normal

2011-05-05T21:58:00.004-05:00

It feels artificial to me to go about my business as if life were what it was just two weeks ago.

And that feels hypocritical, because, to a very, very large extent, my life has not changed that much. The power is back, the internet is back...the bass is thumping from The Artists' stereo and dishes are starting to pile in the sink again.

But tonight we visited the funeral home to support dear friends whose adult daughter died in the storms last week. She left her parents' house after one storm had destroyed their back yard and disrupted their power, not aware that she was heading right into the teeth of the worst storm to cross the county.

There are no words to say. You just hug them and hurt with them and pray for strength and grace.

I am documenting the contacts and the needs as they come into the church office; it's not much, but it's my part.

That and prayer.

Aftermath

2011-05-04T12:34:00.010-05:00

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi.

A week ago today was a devastating weather day in Alabama...just in case it's not news everywhere else.

Firstly, I should say that my family and my home were unscathed. We had a few scary moments when the radar showed rotation heading in our general direction, but as the storms got closer it became clear that they were going to miss us. We had a brief period of small hail, some hard rain and a few really strong wind gusts, but nothing really out of the realm of the usual.

Then the power went out. Every supply line coming into the county went down. It came back on in our neighborhood on Monday morning...4 1/2 days later.

We all laughed at my mother about 5 years ago when she gave me and my siblings all emergency radios...with hand crank power. We made good use of that radio, let me tell you. It was our link with the world at large.

The Princess and her fiance, Prince Charming, decided Thursday evening to go to Grandma's in Indiana. The Artist decided to go with them and, given uncertainty on continued availability of water and cell phones, we convinced her to take her two younger siblings with them. They all crammed into her Honda and left Friday morning. I waved them goodbye, then came back into the house and cried in My Sweet Baboo's arms, both of us praying for their safety. It was so hard to see them all leave together, knowing it was exceptional circumstances and extra hazardous, at least in town where there were no stoplights operating and crazy folks running through the intersections. But they made it there and back, arriving home yesterday afternoon.

And MSB and I were home alone for a long weekend. We worked together on some home projects, planned our meals together (did you know you really can bake a thawed frozen pizza on a charcoal grill?), took walks, looked at the amazing display of stars in the very dark sky, and marveled that we really were ok.

Because so many are not.

I'm not gonna post pictures; they're all over the web and a simple search will yield more devastation anyone can handle. We know people whose houses were destroyed. We have heard amazing stories of folks who attend our church who survived in the midst of the destroyed houses.

And we know some who have people dear to them on the list of folks who did not survive.

All other ministries have stopped at church; disaster relief is what we are doing. My job is searching the data base for the streets in the hard-hit areas, trying to identify if anyone there is connected with the church to make sure they are contacted and helped if necessary. Not that people have to be associated with us for us to help them; we just want to make sure folks who ARE associated with us get help if they need it.

I had a mean dentist appointment this morning (rescheduled from last Thursday) and came home to spend some quality time with warm salt water while I wait for the ugly anesthesia to wear off and was surprised to find the internet operating; it's been down at the house since the power went out. Otherwise, I would be at work hunting addresses and running queries and sending names out to the pastors in the field.

I don't have any easy answers to any of this. I don't know why we were spared while dear friends were not. But I do know this: God loves me and I can trust Him.

That's MY King!

2011-04-24T22:17:00.005-05:00

I linked this on Facebook, but it's worth reposting here! This brings tears to my eyes every time I watch it...what a message!
That's My King! - S.M. Lockridge

The grave couldn't hold Him!!!

He is risen!

Three Years

2011-04-23T10:11:00.006-05:00

Somehow, it seems like it's been more than three years since I Stepped Out into writing at Beer Lahai Roi. So much has happened...notably, I went from being an at-home mom to being a very part-time office odd-job person to being in charge of maintaining the data for the church data base and struggling to keep to no more than a 20 hour work week. Not to mention the two Girls' Ministries classes I teach on a weekly basis.

I can go back now and read some of those early posts and feel like I'm reading someone else's writing. Weird. But, I suppose in a way I am.

Still. I read the first year's postings and realize that I am not writing on that level now. That bothers me. Not so much that I want to write great posts...of course, I do, but I'm missing the revelation that leads to great posts. That pretty much comes from thinking and pondering and studying and praying and THEN writing...usually first in the journal and then, after more processing, in a blog post. I'm missing the writing step. If I don't write it down, I feel like I lose something.

In several recent posts, I've seen something like I've got some things to write about that I learned during [the fast, the conference, my study time, whatever] I'll write about that later.

Only later didn't happen. And now I'm not sure what I had in my spirit to say. I lost it. And that's not good.

So...I need to be more aware of what I'm hearing and more intentional about recording it. Not just for the blog, you know. For me. For growth.

And, having said all of that, I have to say how incredibly grateful I am for those of you who have stuck with me here for the last 3 years. You bless me more than you know when Sitemeter tells me folks have been by. Some I know by the location...some of you I really don't know. But I see some of the same places repeating so I know you're there. I'm humbled that folks would come by here; from the innermost part of my heart...thank you.

Faithful Friday Faves: Hosea

2011-04-22T12:10:00.002-05:00

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Hosea. The faithful husband of an unfaithful wife and the power of redemptive love.

As has happened so many times in this little journey, I had a verse in mind to post when I began skimming through, but another one caught my eye. Probably because of my current season of reprioritizing and reoganizing:

Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the LORD, until he comes and showers righteousness on you. - Hos. 10:12

It's hard work, breaking fallow ground. Things that have been ignored for season after season that have become weedy and overgrown and rocky. As a friend said in a prayer luncheon yesterday, not even knowing that I have pulled things out of closets and corners and wrecked my house in the process of trying to improve things, 'We get tempted to just shove everything back, just to get it out of sight again, but it's time to take care of it and do it right.'

So I'll live with the upturned and uprooted for a while longer. I'm determined to not quit in the process...but to really seek God and His direction through it.

And try not to panic because we have a high school graduation in four weeks... ;)

Faithful Friday Faves: Daniel

2011-04-15T09:48:00.004-05:00

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Can I just say that, in my most HUMBLE opinion, Daniel is one of the coolest dudes in the Bible? There is so much in the book that bears his name that is encouraging to believers in an unbelieving society.

We just happened to have had 'The Second Annual Very Veggie Pickle Party' in our Friends Club (Middle School Girls) class Wednesday night; festivities include a costumed cucumber contest, Pin the Tooth on the Cucumber, eating veggie pizza and drinking V8 and watching an episode of Veggie Tales. Since the unit we're currently studying is Peer Pressure, I took in the classic Rack, Shack and Benny.

Mr. Lunt: Hey, Boss, how many guys did we throw into the furnace?
Mr Nezzer: Uh...three?
Mr. Lunt: Well, there's FOUR guys walking around in there now! And one of 'em is REAL SHINEY! And, Boss,...they ain't burnin' up!

Of course, the veggie version did not show the true picture of the furnace, heated to seven times its usual temperature, killing the soldiers who threw Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah (their actual Hebrew given names, by the way) into the fire. Given that little detail, those Hebrew fellows should've been dead before they even hit the flames. But...they weren't.

Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, "Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!"

So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them. -- Dan. 3:26 - 27

The ropes that had bound them, however, were gone.

Hmmm....

Faithful Friday Faves: Ezekiel

2011-04-08T11:25:00.004-05:00

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

In the vernacular of my youth, my first reaction to skimming through Ezekiel is, "Man, that's heavy!"

A wide range of passages caught my eye; from sure and swift coming judgment to promises of deliverance and restoration. Not to mention the special effects. I've always felt Ezekiel (and John, too, writing Revelation) had a huge challenge, since he was recording things that he saw that he had no language to describe.

...the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. -Ez. 1:1b

I talk about this sometimes in the classes that I teach teenagers. We are so limited by our three-dimensional existence that we tend to assume heaven...the throne of God...is just another 3 dimensional place. Someplace.

But...God made the heavens and the earth. That pretty much covers the universe. The union of contiguous 3-dimensional space.

And God created it. From outside of it.

So it stands to reason that God is a being of more than three dimensions, and the space in which He dwells in His glory would be more than a three dimensional space.

So, imagine being given, for just a moment, the ability to see outside of our three dimensions. And then having the task of recording what you saw.

I've heard various secular explanations of the visions Ezekiel saw, ranging from alien spaceships to drug-induced hallucinations. But I, for one, believe he saw something real that surpasses human experience.

Someday, we'll all see what he saw, and then no doubt we'll find that, while the mental pictures his words constructed did not match the reality, his words were nonetheless accurate descriptions of his visions.

Or at least as accurate as a human being's vocabulary could manage.

Heavy, man.

Faithful Friday Faves: Lamentations

2011-04-01T14:16:00.004-05:00

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

One-two punch...Jeremiah and then Lamentations. It is not so hard these days to imagine a society declining from prosperous and peaceful to shattered and broken. Folks who had amenities in their society finding themselves without the resources to which they were accustomed.

Natural disasters, warfare, terrorist attacks...they've all proven to us over the years that the veneer of civilization is very thin. Lamentations is a powerful and sobering look at a post apocalyptic society.

And yet.

Just about right slap in the middle is a ray of sunshine in a dreary landscape:

Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD's great love, we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself,"The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. -- Lam. 3:21 - 26

Deconstruction

2011-03-29T11:31:00.007-05:00

We have a new pastor at church who will be over our discipleship/education areas, and he wanted to see material from past programs. So I've dug out my binder from what we called 'RELEASE' school of ministry...7 12-week courses all geared to training folks in areas needed for doing any kind of service. The courses were:

Responsibility
Excellence
Leadership
Experience
Authority
Spirit
Execution

This was in the 2002- 2004 time frame; on Wednesday nights before I got involved in the Girls' Ministry program. However, the church grew so fast that we literally ran out of places to put the classes and the 7th session never was (or, maybe, hasn't yet been) offered.

The basic structure for each course was that we had a book to read, we were given a specific portion of the Bible to read so that we read the entire Book over the course of the 7 - class schedule, pertinent Scripture to memorize, and classes to attend. At the end of each course, we were to turn in a one-page book report on the book and do a small written test on the memory work.

The book report was a very interesting thing. It was to be 3 paragraphs; the first was a summary of the book, the second was noting what was personally significant and the third was to be action point or points to be taken as a result of what was learned.

I actually thought it would be good to apply that process to any book I read...and I did it once.

Now, when I pulled the binder with all my accumulated material (the one class I'm missing just happens to be the 7th one) to take in to our new pastor, I read over some of it. I was dismayed to find that lack of follow through on my intention to summarize the books I'd read was pretty much the picture in a nutshell of my staying power on what I'd learned in general.

I have failed to implement even one of my action points...and they were good, important points, all geared to deepening my relationship with my Lord. What happened?

My friends, I got busy. And I got distracted.

I looked over my history for the past 6 - 7 years, and I found that 1)My ministry involvement at church increased tremendously 2) My volunteer sewing increased tremendously and 3) My time on the internet, in online sewing communities, blogging, and now Facebook increased tremendously.

Now, there's nothing *wrong* with any of that, and some of it is even commendable, but if my personal spiritual growth has stagnated then it is Not Good.

But it's all part of Who I Am Now.

And I'm reminded that, at the start of the year, I asked God to take me apart and put me back together again and I realize that all of this is part of that process. I do not want just fall back into the old patterns once I'm 100% healthy and back to Doing again.

It's a submission issue, of course, and I actually summed it up in my book report for the Responsibility class (the book was The Glad Surrender, by Elisabeth Elliot):

...discipline is not so much an act of my will forcing my behavior, but of my will submitting to the Father and letting Him mold my behavior...to do what I have repeatedly proven I cannot do in my own strength and determination.

Faithful Friday Faves: Jeremiah

2011-03-25T12:13:00.002-05:00

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Back in 1994, I was teaching the Jr/Sr High students Sunday School class in the little denominational church we were attending. The curriculum we were using covered the entire Bible in 6 years. We were heading into a new quarter of study, and the upcoming book was Jeremiah.

The thought of teaching Jeremiah to a bunch of teenagers really intimidated me.

So, in preparation, one of the things I did was procure a copy of The International Inductive Study Bible, so I could dig in a little deeper.

It was a doorway into a new level of appreciation for the Word. Instead of being dull and boring, Jeremiah came alive.

At least, it did for me. I don't know if the kids got anything out of it or not.

In skimming through for today's selection, I found myself getting goosebumpy over the similarities between Jeremiah's culture and the culture in which we live. As I commented on Facebook, it's almost like reading today's newspaper.

And we all know the outcome of the social norms of Jeremiah's day.

So the verse that jumped out at me early in the book is a true injunction to all of us:
This is what the LORD says: "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls." - Jer. 6:16a

Note that ancient is not necessarily equated w/good here...and it's true, all societies have mistakes in their past that we would do well not to repeat. But the problem is that our society has not only discarded the mistakes, but the solid things as well, lumping them all together.

Just as they did in Jeremiah's day.

"But you said, 'We will not walk in it.'" - Jer 6:16 b

Oh, that we would learn wisdom, and ask for the good way, which is ancient, and find rest...

Jeremiah always stirs up an emotion in me that is nearly grief as the narrative moves through the last kings of Judah to the disastrous destruction of the city and all the things the Jews held precious...because they had convinced themselves such a thing Could Never Happen.

Ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls...

Faithful Friday Faves: Isaiah

2011-03-18T14:08:00.004-05:00

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Isaiah is a pretty amazing book; prophecy and oracle and just about in the middle, a narrative. Skimming through it, promise after promise spoke to me about God's heart to bless His people.

But the verse that jumped up and said 'Pay attention!' is in the narrative of Sennacherib's siege of Jerusalem:

Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent a message to Hezekiah: "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Because you have prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria, this is the word the LORD has spoken against him:.... -Is. 38:21-22a

And the text goes on to answer Sennacherib's taunts against God and promise deliverance to the people of Judah.

What got my attention, though, was God's declaration of why He was moved to answer...Because Hezekiah prayed. Not because He was defending His Name, not because Sennacherib had crossed a line...but because Hezekiah prayed.

That probably caught my eye because one of the books I'm reading during my (ahem) down time is Beth Moore's Breaking Free, and I'd just gotten totally convicted by her chapter on prayerlessness.

Oh, I pray, but as I've probably said before, I've let myself get so busy that my prayer life is more like living on pick-up from the drive through than living on solid food. I need to pull all the issues in my life together and seriously lay them before the Lord.

And I need to make that my lifestyle.

Because it's not about praying eloquent prayers, it's not about praying anointed prayers, it's not about praying with Holy Ghost goose-bumps...it's just about praying.

And I needed to be reminded.

Be Careful What You Ask For

2011-03-15T11:47:00.004-05:00

So...mono slowed me down but didn't stop me, then last night, while doing an 'urgent' small sewing project for The Actor, I whacked a small divot off my finger w/my rotary cutter (my typing...and retyping and retyping...is bordering on ludicrous. I must want to share this really bad...). So now even the little I was doing has gotten more difficult.

Do you suppose Someone is trying to tell me something?

In trying to find my bearings again, I picked up my journal and re-read some of my more recent (as in the last 12 months) entries, and when I read this bit, dated June 30, lamenting my over booked calendar, I laughed out loud at myself:

You said that I can do all things through You, who gives me strength. But I don't wanna do all things -- I just want a chance to do nothing....

Now, in all honesty I was confessing and asking for help and grace. That was not a prayer I expected to be heard, much less answered.

But here I am with a chance to do nothing...and, well, let's just say there's a reason our words should be seasoned w/grace; sometimes we have to eat them...

Faithful Friday Faves: Song of Songs

2011-03-11T17:09:00.003-06:00

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Is there any other book of the Bible that has more names? Song of Solomon, Song of Songs, Canticles...whatever you call it, let me just say, this is a tough read for someone who's been battling mononucleosis and hasn't had so much as a real kiss in weeks...

Oh, sorry, was that TMI?

Anyway.

Truth is, stuff like mono...or other, much more costly, much more dire, much more stressful circumstances are a true test for love. The pure enjoyment of the relationship pictured in Song of Songs is one aspect of it, sure, but the real demonstration is the guy who leaves work early to pick up the kids from school and run them around to various activities so that his wife can sit home with her feet up, trying to mind the doctor and rest.

It's the guy who does the dishes, picks up dinner from the fried chicken folks (or the hamburger folks, or the pizza folks, or even makes a pot of chili from scratch), and prays over his puny wife for strength and healing before he heads to work.

One of these days, his wife will be well again and love can be celebrated as Solomon and Shulamith celebrated it, but in the meantime there's a statement about real, solid love found in the book that is the absolute truth:

Many waters cannot quench love, rivers cannot wash it away - Songs 8:7a

Faithful Friday Faves - Ecclesiastes

2011-03-04T13:44:00.005-06:00

Posted By Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

I'm reminded that, when I set out to do this little survey, I mentioned that the verses might not be the most spiritually profound...just a selection from the book that means something to me.

Ecclesiastes has some marvelous moments in it, it's true, but there is an overriding cynicism that usually leaves me feeling rather melancholy after studying it. I kind of think that cynicism is the inevitable result of someone trying to live a religious life, as opposed to living in a relationship w/ God, while pursuing success in the secular society, but I'm not going to go into that today.

As I was skimming through, I found a verse that always makes me smile...not because of what the verse actually says, but just because of the double meaning it has in our society today. It's a proverb, stuck amongst several other proverbs, so there's no real context to grasp what Solomon was really talking about.

I'll just post it without comment...you can draw your own conclusions.

The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left. - Ecc. 10:2

Am I Listening?

2011-03-03T10:22:00.003-06:00

Last week, I went to work on Tuesday, thinking I was over the hump as I hadn't had any mono symptoms. I came home tired, but not worn out, and really figured I was on the uphill.

In the mail that day was a precious card from a friend...stamped and decorated, with a devotional reading in it. I thought of you as I read this devotional... she wrote.

I quickly read through it; it was about trusting God in times of weakness. A very good word. I smiled to myself, I'm over it now. But how sweet of her to send it!

Well, let me tell you, I was NOT 'over it'. My Sweet Baboo called the doctors office on Tuesday THIS WEEK to find out how long I should plan to lay low. They told him 6 - 8 weeks, IF I honestly rest.

I'm only about halfway done.

So I dug my friend's card back out, and this morning made it part of my devotional. The note says it's from Jesus Calling

Thank Me for the conditions that are requiring you to be still. Do not spoil these quiet hours by wishing them away, waiting impatiently to be active again...instead of resenting the limitations of a weakened body, search for My way in the midst of these very circumstances. Limitations can be liberating when your strongest desire is living close to Me.

I actually have not been wishing them away; but I HAVE been trying to squeeze in things that I didn't have time to do when I was active. Hence I am NOT being still. I actually almost feel like I'm wasting the down time by NOT being down. I'm fiddling with things...not terribly taxing, but DOING just the same...when I could be sitting at the table, with my Bible, with a couple of books that I really want to read, soaking Him in.

Instead, I'm puttering about doing things, fearing that I'll be up and active before I get the stuff done and...having wasted my opportunity to draw near to Him by doing stuff.

Yes, it's a contradiction! And, in my down time, I don't have enough time.

Hm...He Speaks Where You Don't Expect It...

2011-03-01T08:55:00.004-06:00

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Last weekend was trying; it was the production weekend for the play the kids had been preparing since Christmas break...Romeo and Juliet. It's likely the Actor's last school production, and he had the role of Mercutio. I had to go watch his performance...we went to the Saturday matinee, as I thought that would be the least taxing. Then, because I had no substitute for my Sunday morning class, I went to church to teach first service. One thing led to another, and, well, I ended up leaving around the middle of 3rd service; I'd been at church 5 hours. I was tired and achy and headed home, but the Princess wanted to go see the Sunday matinee and she didn't want to go alone. I thought about the work I'd seen the day before, and realized that I really didn't want to pass up my last chance to see Mercutio. So I went again.

And, Mondays being Mondays, I went in to work for a bit and stayed 6 hours.

Sometimes ya just gotta do what ya gotta do.

I'm achy, sore throaty and beat.

I've obviously not licked the mono bug yet; I brought work home (is it a blessing to be able to access the data base and work from any computer?) and plan to stay here for the rest of the week.

Now, I really am trying to figure out the purpose in all this. I am obviously being pulled aside from the routine; I'm missing something here.

Then, this morning I checked Facebook to find that two of my friends, who don't know each other at all and who live in different parts of the country, had the following back-to-back posts:

Keep your eyes on Me! Waves of adversity are washing over you, and you feel tempted to give up. As your circumstances consume more and more of your attention, you are losing sight of Me. Yet I am with you always, holding you by your right hand. I am fully aware of your situation, and I will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able to bear. Psalm 73:23; I Corinthians 10:13

and

"Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes." Matthew 6:34 (MSG)

Those phrases "Keep your eyes on Me!" and "Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now" jumped off the screen at me.

I admit it; I've not been spending all this down time focusing on what God is doing; I've mostly been focusing on what I can do and what I need to do and what I can't get to that's bugging me.

So...I need a serious change of focus. What IS God doing, right now?

I won't get that if I don't focus on HIM instead of the STUFF.

(and thanks to Laurie and Buffi for putting a sermon on Facebook without even knowing it... ;) )

Faithful Friday Faves: Proverbs

2011-02-25T12:10:00.002-06:00

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi.

Proverbs is a difficult book to just sit down and read; being a collection of short wise sayings, it is not at all linear. The wisdom that's there, covering so many topics, really needs to be taken in in small doses. Someone long ago noted that there are 31 chapters...pretty much corresponding to a month...and suggested reading the chapter for each day on a cycle. Not a bad idea.

I had decided earlier in the week what passage I would post for Proverbs; it's one of my favorites, but when I sat down to actually write today's post I felt like I should at least skim through and see if there was something else I needed to look at.

As I said, it's not easy to read straight through Proverbs. I hesitated, thinking I could just go with my favorite passage and move on. But I couldn't.

Sure enough, a passage caught my eye and stirred up some questions in my spirit and after I'd finished my scan, I came back to it.

Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you;
rebuke a wise man and he will love you.
Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still;
teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning.
- Prov.9:8 - 9, NIV

Suddenly, I wondered: how do I accept rebuke, correction and/or instruction?

It chafes, my friend, it chafes. But as I read that, I realized it was a test of character...accepting the correction is synonymous with wisdom. Refusing it, being offended by it...that's equated with folly.

I don't think the chafing is the problem; of course it's going to chafe. Friction is what sands off the rough edges of a gem; correction sands off the rough selfish edges of character. If I focus on the chafing, I'll miss the point of the correction. I need to let the chafing do its work.

And I saw something else...a wise man still could take instruction. There's no 'arrival' at a place where all one does is teach others. There is always room for learning, always room for 'wiser still'

The hardest thing for someone who teaches to do is sit down and be taught. To be quiet while another teaches. But...for a wise person, to submit to another teacher is even more wisdom.

So...who am I, really? A wise person or a fool? It shows in how I take correction.

So...more rest...

2011-02-23T20:00:00.002-06:00

I really thought I'd be better by now. I mean, I really thought I WAS better. No real symptoms for three or four days; I thought I was ok to go to work for a little bit (so the little bit was 6 hours...it's not a terribly strenuous job...).

But I woke up this morning to a fresh new sore throat/earache combo and as the day progressed I got more and more puny feeling.

Guess it wasn't gone.

So, I'm finding subs and making alternate plans yet again.

Mono 1, Lisa 0.

Faithful Friday Faves: Psalms

2011-02-18T11:14:00.003-06:00

This is where this little idea gets almost laughable...pick one verse from Psalms as a favorite?

I skimmed through, not even sure what criteria I should use. I was nearly despairing of making a decision, when suddenly...I saw it. And knew it was to be today's pick.

The Very First Verse I memorized.

I was four...maybe five...years old, attending Vacation Bible School for the first time. It wasn't in the church I spent my coming-of-age years, but in the little white country Christian church that had been in the community for years upon years. I remember a sort of carpool going on, and, after the first day, Nancy L (who was 3 years older than me) got into the car with a note pinned to her shirt. I didn't understand why *I* didn't get a note from my teacher and specifically asked for one the next day.

So, the next day I went home with a note pinned to my shirt. It was a memory verse for me to say at the program Friday night. I had to learn it and then say it for the parents as I laid a screwdriver down on the front table.

I'm sure there was some context to the whole thing, but all I remember is getting stage fright and forgetting the first word of the verse when I walked up to say it.

It's still with me...in King James...

Except the LORD build the house, they labor in vain that build it. Except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. - Ps 127:1

Of course, I had no idea what it meant then. I just remember being mortified that I had to be reminded of the first few words after I'd specifically asked to do it.

Now, I understand -- it's pointless to put trust in human efforts or human strength.

When I am very old, I may forget a lot of things...but I bet I will still be able to quote that verse.

Overdue, Part two...The Butterfly Picture

2011-02-17T21:52:00.004-06:00

Have you ever gotten fed up with yourself? Just ready to get over all the stuff and get on with whatever you're called to do?

I've been there for awhile, and during the fast I heard myself praying a prayer that basically gave God permission...no, I'd say even asked Him...to take me apart and put me back together again however it suits His purpose. It sounds so trite now, but I caught my breath when I heard it come from my heart, because...it could change everything.

Virtually everything.

The next day, I reviewed that resolve and decided that I just had to stick with it.

And suddenly I saw a mental image of a butterfly going through the metamorphosis from caterpillar to winged creature.

Somewhere I read that during that time, the caterpillar pretty much totally disintegrates inside the chrysalis and then reforms. It's pretty nigh miraculous, if you ask me; so wondrous and yet so commonplace.

I remember my kids doing the painted lady butterfly projects at school in about 2nd grade; they'd be all exited about their caterpillars growing and then 'forming the J shape' as they began the process.

And the thing about butterflies is that, unlike moths, butterfly caterpillars don't spin cocoons; they pupate inside the caterpillar skin.

When I asked God how long this would take, what I got as an answer was, 'It depends on how much you fight the process.'

And then I found myself at home...to rest.

But I'm still doing stuff. If I *felt* sick, it'd be different, but I just have a sorta sore throat and achy fatigue. So I have still been trying to keep the work piles at a manageable size...both work work and regular laundry and such. I can't decide if it's a blessing or not that I can access the church data base online and work from home.

And, being home so much, the sewing room is singing its usual siren song.

I told a friend of mine today that I was frustrated that I didn't seem to be getting better. It's probably because I'm only half resting.

Fighting the process, I suppose.

So I need to put the two things together...'don't fight the process' and 'strengthen that which remains'.

Two very interesting phrases to guide me this year.

Overdue

2011-02-13T17:30:00.003-06:00

The post I've been trying to type for weeks now...

I went into the fast not really sure what I needed to carry out of it, other than I knew I needed some guidance/direction for the year ahead. What should I focus upon? How should I prioritize?

And I got a Bible verse and a mental picture, which were kind of contradictory. So I'm still pondering them.

The Bible verse came from a repeated 'stumble', over about a week's time. It's Revelation 3:2; not the whole verse, just a phrase that, once I read it, echoed in my heart over and over until I encountered it again a few days later, when it reverberated all over again.

Strengthen that which remains

Now, this was written to the church at Sardis, which received a pretty strong rebuke. But when I read the passage, it wasn't the rebuke that jumped out at me, it was just the little instruction to strengthen that which remains.

And I was encouraged. That's not a dramatic, drastic, revamp-your-life kind of instruction. That's baby steps. I've been beating myself up because I've been so earthly busy I've been no heavenly good, and I feel like I've let a lot of precious moments slip through my fingers. But there is no condemnation, just an exhortation to start where I am, with what I have, and move forward.

I'll save the butterfly picture for tomorrow...or maybe the next day... ;)

Faithful Friday Faves: Job

2011-02-11T12:35:00.005-06:00

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Such a lot of wisdom in the book of Job! But as I skimmed through, the verses that grabbed my attention today were in Elihu's monologue, Job 32:18-19:

For I am full of words, and the spirit within me compels me; inside I am like bottled-up wine, like new wineskins ready to burst.

Suddenly, I was reminded of why I began the Beer Lahai Roi blog almost 3 years ago:

Because I had things that were bottled up inside that I felt compelled to share, but I had no outlet to share them.

Since that time, I've taken on teaching two different classes at church ... middle school girls on Wednesdays and high school girls on Sundays, so I have an outlet of sorts for the bottled up words, and I've taken on a part time (pause for hysterical laughter) job, so my time for pondering and studying has been strictly curtailed.

The fizz has settled down on the bottle. If I just let it sit, I CAN just let it sit.

But, oh, my friends, it requires such a little shaking to get it all bubbly and pressurized again!

Maybe I need to be a little more intentional about shaking the bottle.

Postscript: I just remembered that I posted a little fictional piece about Job...or, to be more precise, Job's wife...awhile back; if you're interested it's Here

Stop and Rest

2011-02-08T15:36:00.003-06:00

All last week, I tried to get to the computer to post some insights I'd gained during the fast; however, computer time is still at a premium in our corner of The Rocket City, and I just couldn't get it done.

Then, last Friday, I got results of a blood test and found out that I've got an active mononucleosis infection. Well, that DID explain a lot.

So now I'm trying to figure out how to stop everything and rest. I'm not doing so well; I was at work about 4 hours yesterday and 2 1/2 more today.

I have sub teachers for my Wednesday night class for the next couple of weeks; if I can find someone to cover the Sunday morning class I will stay home all weekend...I've already gotten excused from choir for the rest of the month.

At first, I thought...yeah, rest...I can sit at home with my Bible and my notebooks and just spend the day with Jesus! How wonderful!

But I'm falling asleep when I sit still. My plan (did you catch that? "MY PLAN"? ) to use my resting time productively isn't working so well. At least not yet, because I haven't sat down to rest until I've Hit The Wall.

So...all that reflecting I did during the Jubilee year about rest is now going to come home to roost. Until I've rested, I'm not much good for anything. And if I *don't* rest, it's only going to get worse, not better.

This is an exercise in trust...trust that the people to whom I have delegated things will carry them out. That's hard for me; I've been let down seriously many times in the past. But now it's not a trust of the PEOPLE...I've got to trust GOD that He'll work through the people. And I've got to learn to let go of the details that, just maybe, aren't as important as I thought they were.

Friends, I've got to completely drop MY AGENDA.

I thought I had gotten rid of my agenda along time ago. But, guess what, I found out I still have one. It's just not the same one it used to be.

So, I will continue to reflect whilst (hopefully) contemplating the back of my eyelids as much as possible in the next couple of weeks, and, once I've rested enough, post something. ;)

Friday Faithful Faves: Esther

2011-02-04T10:10:00.007-06:00

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

I've been trying to get a blog post written all week and, because of kids and computer-required homework, I haven't been able to get it done. But that post will have to wait, because it's time to get back into my little tour through scripture... and this week's book is one of my favorites!

But I'm not going with the obvious choice today, maybe because there something of which I seem to be continually in need of being reminded. Today, I'm looking at Esther 2:15 -

When the turn came for Esther (the girl Mordecai had adopted, the daughter of his uncle Abihail) to go to the king, she asked for nothing other than what Hegai, the king's eunuch who was in charge of the harem, suggested. And Esther won the favor of everyone who saw her.

Esther is a marvelous example of living without a personal agenda. God is not mentioned in the book, yet Esther's whole life is a picture of walking in faith.

This verse is that attitude in a nutshell.

With all of the king's treasures to chose from, with the wealth of the kingdom at her command, she gave up her right to choose, deferring to one whose knowledge of the king and what the king preferred was greater than her own. She wanted to make sure she pleased the king; pleasing herself didn't even enter into her plans.

As a result, she gained enough influence to save a nation.

In what areas am I stubbornly seeking to please my own self? What creeps into my thought patterns as 'unfair'? How would those things change if I sought only to please the King?

Faithful Friday Faves: Nehemiah

2011-01-07T22:26:00.005-06:00

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

I love Nehemiah...somewhere in our video archives, I have a very, very amateurish video made during Vacation Bible School something like 18 years ago in which my junior high class enacted several scenes from Ezra and Nehemiah in hastily thrown-together costumes. One of my favorites was of 'Nehemiah' throwing 'Tobiah's household goods' out of the 'temple'...one of the kids heaving anything we could lay our hands on that could withstand a little rough treatment out of one of the church side doors. Nehemiah was quite a contrast to Ezra...where Ezra fasted and prayed and mourned over the people's sins, Nehemiah...well, Nehemiah took a more, um, forceful approach.

But the verse in Nehemiah that always makes me smile is chapter 8, verse 10:
...Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, [KJV: eat the fat and drink the sweet] and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.

We tend to associate Christianity and living a properly disciplined lifestyle with a continual denial of pleasure; this verse is a reminder that we are to enjoy life as we live it. Strength doesn't come from strict discipline...strength comes from a life lived in joy and celebration of God's goodness.

There is a time for fasting and denial, that's true, and we are heading into that season at church; Monday beings a 21-day time of prayer and fasting. I'm not sure how I will be participating this year; I'm currently taking some medication that requires food (just an antibiotic that I'll finish in a week and a half; doggone sinus infection!), so I won't be doing a really strict food fast, not in the beginning, anyway. But I will be doing my annual geek fast...staying off the 'net for everything except email and weather reports.

This is a fast that I *need* on so many levels...but, as Nehemiah reminds us, I will be celebrating God's goodness again with joy after the time of fasting.

Ezra Postscript

2011-01-04T22:30:00.003-06:00

I've re-read Friday's post a couple of times since I wrote it, and, you know, something occurred to me that I decided I had to share.

All along, I've just thought it was really cool that God gave the Jews favor with the Persian kings who let them go back and rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple, but, well, some little links connected in my head and suddenly I saw something.

In the research Darius ordered to determine whether or not the Jews had been authorized to rebuild the temple, he no doubt discovered some other things that had happened in that same time frame...
such as, one of the high administrators in the kingdom being sentenced to death on trumped-up charges, who miraculously survived a night cooped up with hungry lions ( the 'Darius' in Daniel's story was Darius the Mede, who was a predecessor of Darius I, who issued the orders for the construction of the temple to resume).

It's no wonder, then, that Darius I instructs the folks to aid the Jews however necessary so that they may offer sacrifices pleasing to the God of heaven and pray for the well-being of the king and his sons. (Ez. 6:10)

See, God's protection of Daniel wasn't just for Daniel's sake...it also caused the Persians to fear and respect the God of Israel enough to expect that prayers offered to Him on their behalf would be beneficial, so they ordered the construction and completion of the temple.

Like ripples in a pond, God's deliverance of Daniel became part of His restoration of His people.

I *love* seeing how all those Bible stories that we learned as kids...as just self-contained stories...actually all fit together!

Faithful Friday Faves: Ezra

2010-12-31T21:03:00.004-06:00

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Long passage this week...there's a story here, which I'll summarize:

The Israelites had been given permission by Cyrus, king of Persia, to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. They got the foundations laid, but folks round about got nervous that the Jews were rebuilding and harassed them so relentlessly that construction on the temple came to a halt. Then, these obstructionists wrote a letter to Darius asking if Cyrus really and truly had issued such permission. It was duly researched and found to be true, and Darius sent this reply back to the folks who opposed the Jews in their building project:

"Now then, Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and you, their fellow officials of that province, stay away from there. Do not interfere with the work on this temple of God. Let the governor of the Jews and the Jewish elders rebuild this house of God on its site.

Moreover, I hereby decree what you are to do for these elders of the Jews in the construction of this house of God:
The expenses of these men are to be fully paid out of the royal treasury, from the revenues of Trans- Euphrates, so that the work will not stop. Whatever is needed -- young bulls, rams, male lambs for burnt offerings to the God of heaven, and wheat, salt, wine and oil, as requested by the priests in Jerusalem -- must be given them daily without fail, so that they may offer sacrifices pleasing to the God of heaven and pray for the well- being of the king and his sons.

Furthermore, I decree that if anyone changes this edict, a beam is to be pulled from his house and he is to be lifted up and impaled on it. And for this crime his house is to be made a pile of rubble." - Ezra 6:6-11

Is that not the coolest thing? Not only were the Jews vindicated, but their oppressors were ordered to help them and give them whatever they needed.

The thing is, the Jews themselves had nothing to do with their relief; their oppressors brought it about themselves.

Can you imagine being one of the Jews who got up every day, day after day, and saw the unfinished temple from his window...suddenly finding out that the king had ordered the very people who were causing the delays to facilitate the completion of it?

We never know when God is going put everything into reverse and make up for the time lost. 'Cause that's the way He does things...

What situation in my life am I seeing as unchanged day after day that I can trust God to 'suddenly' cause the opposition to become my support system?

Christmas Wrap Up

2010-12-31T00:10:00.002-06:00

Because I'm still wrapping Christmas gifts...

Tomorrow night, after we toast 2011 with sparkly grape juice, the youngsters will hang their stockings and head to bed and we get to play the Santa game...goodies in the stockings, presents under the tree, and the pickle ornament secured somewhere in the branches.

On New Year's day we'll get up to baked egg and sausage casserole, cream puffs, beef and cabbage soup in the crock pot, and a day of Christmas cheer and family games.

But I'm a little nostalgic this year; it's the Princess' last Christmas at home, as she and her Prince Charming are planning to tie the knot next fall. She'll be an old married lady by this time next year...or at least a starry eyed new bride. In any case, she won't be celebrating Christmas the same way.

I've seen several discussions about what makes a perfect Christmas for the kids...the 'IT' gift? Family traditions? Careful attention to the true meaning of the holiday?

I don't think there's a formula that works for everyone. We're bucking all of society by spreading our Christmas out...and, to be completely honest, if I could pull it off I'd do significant church services on Dec. 24 and 25, have parties with friends and family for the next 11 days and have our family Christmas, with stockings and everything, on Epiphany.

But the kids are always back in school before Jan. 6; that just Wouldn't Work.

So, we spread it out as much as we can...from Christmas to New Year's Day...and try to ignore the drying trees by the curb, the Superbowl promos in the grocery stores and the Valentine's candy on what was the Christmas aisle just a few days ago.

We'll take the tree down on the last day of Christmas break, having extracted the last drop of Christmas cheer from the season.

Now, if I could just remember what that last present was for The Flute Player, and where I put it...